美国动物园吃不消烧钱的大熊猫

on loan for feisty unbearably¹ veterinary endocrinologist horticulture maintenance routine in attendance cub² fresco³

She is so feisty, she is very confident, she has a mind of her own.

Newest cub Sulin is unbearably cute as ever, so is her brother Mei Shen. But the climbing costs of pandas on loan from China are a burden.

It is difficult sometimes to keep up very costly⁴ conservation efforts. But this is something this all logical society has been committed to.

Part of the costs include the large team of caretakers for the pandas from veterinary staff who measure and weigh each animal twice daily, to endocrinologists, behaviorists, nutritionists and even the horticulture specialists who harvest 19 species of bamboo for the pandas to eat. Keeper J. Simonson is part of the high-maintenance routine as she feeds mother Bai Yun.

I'll be carrying in a bundle of over thirty pounds of bamboo for her to eat just overnight. That would be her fifth feeding today. So, put that between four pandas and you can see we spend a lot of time with the bamboo.

Even though they are one of the main attractions here, zoo officials say they spend a lot more money on keeping the pandas than the pandas actually bring in.

And here is why: annual fees to China. Since 1996 the San Diego Zoo has paid more than 10 million dollars to the Chinese government. Plus a flat payment of more than a half million dollars for each new cub. The money is said to be going toward conservation efforts.

We don't know what may happen after the end of our long-term loan.

The zoo claims there has been no growth in attendance since the pandas arrived here. But certainly the public and those who take care of the pandas hope they are here to stay.

It's hard to describe. They are wonderful.

1 unbearably   

adv.不能忍受地，无法容忍地；慌

参考例句：

• It was unbearably hot in the car. 汽车里热得难以忍受。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She found it unbearably painful to speak. 她发现开口说话痛苦得令人难以承受。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 cub   

n.幼兽，年轻无经验的人

参考例句：

• The lion cub's mother was hunting for what she needs. 这只幼师的母亲正在捕猎。
• The cub licked the milk from its mother's breast. 这头幼兽吸吮着它妈妈的奶水。

3 fresco   

n.壁画；vt.作壁画于

参考例句：

• This huge fresco is extremely clear and just like nature itself.It is very harmonious.这一巨幅壁画，清晰有致且又浑然天成，十分和谐。
• So it is quite necessary to study the influence of visual thinking over fresco.因此，研究视觉思维对壁画的影响和作用是十分必要的。

4 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。