Chinese giant pandas stuck in Canada as fresh bamboo supplies run low
- The coronavirus pandemic has upended Calgary Zoo’s access to the fresh food, and their regional source is drying up
- Pandas eat the plant almost exclusively and chew through about 40kg per day
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Calgary Zoo said flight cancellations and slow delivery times limit the supply of bamboo, and it often arrives in poor quality.
The unpredictable bamboo supply is creating worries at the zoo that the pandas, named Er Shun and Da Mao, may run out of food. They are currently in good health.
“We believe the best and safest place for Er Shun and Da Mao to be during these challenging and unprecedented times is where bamboo is abundant and easy to access,” Calgary Zoo president Clément Lanthier said.
Giant pandas feed on bamboo almost exclusively, and each adult chews through about 40kg (88 pounds) of the plant every day. The zoo still has access to fresh bamboo from the western Canadian province of British Columbia, but it expects the supply will run out in September.
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Giant panda Yuan Yuan gives birth to a second daughter in Taiwan
Zhang Zhihe, director of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu, in southwest China, said in May that they were ready to receive the pandas.
