U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE SIGNS GIANT PANDA IMPORT PERMIT

Jamie Rappaport Clark, Director of the Interior Departments U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, today announced that the agency has issued a permit under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to allow the Smithsonian National Zoological Park to import two giant pandas from China. Under the Services Giant Panda Import Policy, such imports may be allowed if the requesting institution has fully satisfied the Policys criteria and that the long- term loan will contribute to the conservation and survival of pandas in the wild in China. Pandas are listed as endangered under the ESA and on CITES Appendix I which prohibits any commercial trade. Under these two measures, the Service must make the following determinations before it can issue an import permit: