Taiwan zoo panned for pampering pandas  

赠台熊猫幼崽住豪宅 民众为昔日明星黑熊抱不平

大陆赠台大熊猫千金“圆仔”出生满60天，不只长得可爱讨喜，命也比较好。对比台湾黑熊，每一只的居住空间，只有41坪(1坪=3.30平方米)，一只熊猫有209坪的空间，尤其在台北市里，可以堪称是豪宅等级。 [查看全文]

(ECNS) -- At a top zoo in Taiwan, pandas are being treated like celebrities - much better than their black bear neighbors - and even better than many people.

And that has many people upset.

"Yuan Zai," a two-month-old panda cub at Taipei Zoo, is loved by the public, but has also brought attention to the "extravagant" living conditions of the pandas there, according to a report on tvbs.com.

Each panda lives in a separate "suite" of about 700 square meters, which also features an internal room and an outdoor yard, the report says.

In contrast, black bears, the former animal stars at the zoo, have to share a smaller enclosure. The average living space for a black bear is 135.3 square meters, one-fifth of what its panda neighbors enjoy.

Despite complaints that black bears are unfairly treated, Zhao Mingjie, spokesman for the zoo, says that 135.3 square meters of living space for a black bear is above international level.

The accommodations for pandas in the hall will also be rearranged when there are new baby pandas in the future, Zhao added.