The Toronto Zoo’s giant pandas Er Shun and Da Mao are racking up big bills, but failed to help pull the institution through a winter attendance and revenue slump.

Officials say the December 2013 ice storm and frigid winter temperatures kept members of the public from braving the cold to visit the pandas and other animals.

“One of the zoo’s strengths is that we have a very large site that allows a lot of room for our animals to roam, but it’s also not something that’s very conducive for people walking around in -30 degree temperatures,” said board chair Joe Torzsok.

Fellow board member Councillor Gloria Lindsay Luby echoed Torzsok.

“There’s volatility with weather and numbers,” she said.

Though attendance rebounded as milder weather finally arrived in April, a recent board report reveals zoo attendance declined to 76,046 in March 2014, down from the 113,033 who visited in the same month the year before.

Though officials expected the pandas’ arrival from China to help boost profits, revenue numbers also took a hit, with the zoo earning about $447,000 less than it did in March 2013.

According to Torzsok, the zoo needs to focus on becoming “less weather-dependent” and better promote indoor exhibits to avoid similar numbers next year.

Though attendance and revenue numbers already began to rebound in April, Torzsok said he’s optimistic summer visitors can help the zoo regain traction.

“If you have one really good weekend in the summer, it can actually make up for a bad January,” he said.

Regardless of how many people visit the zoo, finance manager Paul Whittam said it’s difficult to track how much of an effect the pandas can have on revenue numbers though he says they cost roughly $1.8 million annually — a number that includes fees for their loan, food, insurance and staff care.

“The visitors pay a set fee at the gate and they can see any animal they choose so expenses are directly attributable, but revenues aren’t,” he said.

However, he says panda expenses are a part of a $5-million spike in operations and general management expenses cited in a draft audit obtained by the Star for the zoo’s 2012-2013 season.

The audit shows that operation costs climbed from roughly $16.7 million to $20.9 million and general management expenses reached $3.2 million, up from $1.9 million previously.

Though the zoo board was scheduled to discuss the audit Monday, the meeting failed to reach quorum.

While board member and former chair Councillor Raymond Cho would not comment on whether he was concerned by the rise in general management and operations expenses, he said he feels the pandas are worth their cost.

“I did ask about the financials specifically and the financials were very well,” he said. “It doesn’t cost the taxpayers money.”

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Cho, who was chair of the board when discussions began to bring the pandas to Canada, defended the decision.

He cited attendance numbers for the zoo around the time of the pandas’ arrival, which encouraged the number of visitors to rise by 31.4 per cent.

“I think it’s great that we have pandas because they bring people, conservation and education,” he said. “It’s really win, win, win!”