A total of RM30 million was spent to house three pandas at Zoo Negara, a sum which Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin said should have been spent on the entire zoo itself.

"The conditions of our zoo are pathetic. They should have spent the money towards the overall upgrading of the national zoo.

"We are in no position yet to go into this sort of exchange when the conditions and the well-being of the existing animals and the facilities are in a bad sate," Zuraida told Malaysiakini today.

Earlier today, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar revealed in a parliamentary written reply that Putrajaya spent RM25 million between 2014 and 2016 to keep three pandas in the country.

During the same period, Zoo Negara forked out RM4.8 million.

"The overall cost of implementing the Malaysia-China Giant Panda International Conservation Agreement programme between 2014 and 2016 was RM30,214,186," Wan Junaidi said in response to a question posed by Zuraida.

Zoo Negara currently hosts three pandas - Xing Xing, Liang Liang and their cub Nuan Nuan.

Wan Junaidi had previously revealed that Zoo Negara has to spend RM2.25 million annually on operational and maintenance costs to house the pandas.

The terms of the agreement also led to Malaysia making a one-off payment of US$600,000 to China on the first year of the birth of Nuan Nuan.

Nuan Nuan, born on Aug 18 last year, is to be returned to China when it is two years old.

Xing Xing and Liang Liang are on a 10-year loan to Malaysia.

They were requested by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak during a meeting with then Chinese prime minister Wen Jiabao in 2012, to mark the 40th anniversary of the Malaysia-China diplomatic relations.

Currently, Zoo Negara charges Malaysian adults RM44 for entry to see the pandas, while the rate for Asean residents is RM63. Other visitors are charged RM85.