Atlanta wants to keep pandas for cheaper

ATLANTA, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Zoo Atlanta wants to keep its two adult giant pandas beyond the 2009 expiration of the current agreement with China, but not at the current price.

The pandas, Lun Lun and Yang Yang, are scheduled to return to china in 2009. Zoo President Dennis Kelly said the zoo has paid $1.1 million to China every year since acquiring the pandas in 1999. He said the hefty price means the pandas are "consuming all the money we could spend on other conservation efforts."

Kelly said the zoo's board of directors is considering asking China to let the pandas stay longer, but only if the stay is driven by "a long-term, sustainable strategy," meaning a smaller yearly price tag, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

"If (Chinese officials) see the benefit of that, I'm sure we could come to a mutually beneficial agreement," Kelly said.

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin said the cost of keeping the pandas is a "small cost" considering the benefits.

"The pandas have given us a chance to learn more about China, their environment and our environment," Franklin said. "They are symbolic of the friendships we can form."