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Panda project draws protest

Monday, Aug. 12, 2002 | 11:06 a.m.

Las Vegas casino operator Mandalay Resort Group says it is forging ahead with plans to display two giant pandas near its Mandalay Bay hotel-casino despite criticism from conservation groups.

In Business Las Vegas, a sister publication of the Las Vegas Sun, reported this week the company's plans, publicized last month after a recent meeting between casino representatives and federal wildlife agency officials, have raised concerns among the Washington, D.C.-based World Wildlife Fund and others that the endangered species could be exploited.

Mandalay Resort Group is currently seeking accreditation for Shark Reef, an aquarium at Mandalay Bay and the company's only conservation project, from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.

Accreditation, which may take at least six months, is a necessary step in the long-term process of applying for a U.S. Fish and Wildlife permit to import pandas, Mandalay Bay spokeswoman Megan Jones said.

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