SW Arkansas Times

House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chairman Paul Gosar have initiated an investigation into the alleged misuse of American donor funds by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The funds, intended for panda conservation, were reportedly diverted to other projects. In a letter addressed to Shannon Estenoz, Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, and Martha Williams, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Westerman and Gosar expressed their concerns.

"China’s effort to dupe zoos and American donors into paying for infrastructure development and other projects unrelated to wildlife conservation under the guise of 'save the pandas' is unsurprising," they stated. They further highlighted China's reputation as "the world’s largest market for trafficked wildlife products" and criticized its regulatory framework for enabling illicit wildlife trade.

The letter also pointed out recent scandals involving Chinese zoos, including an incident where a zoo painted Chow Chow dogs to resemble pandas. Another incident involved a zoo denying that a sun bear was actually a man in a suit.

Westerman and Gosar criticized the USFWS's handling of the situation: "What is most surprising, however, is FWS’s eagerness to surrender ESA-related regulatory duties to zoos and to the Chinese government given the agency’s history of ruling over the ESA with an iron fist."

The New York Times reported in November 2024 that funds earmarked for panda conservation were used instead for Chinese infrastructure projects. The Committee has corroborated these findings, indicating that USFWS failed in its oversight responsibilities by allowing improper payments.