Panda Updates – Friday, July 28

As we’ve mentioned in previous posts, one of the most fun parts of watching the twins grow up is observing their preferences in food and enrichment. Although the girls are playing with and chewing on bamboo, they are not fully consuming it, and it isn’t considered a portion of their diet at this point. Still, we thought we’d switch it up a bit and offer the twins a browse item they have never had before: eastern redbud. Eastern redbud is a deciduous tree that is native to eastern North America, all the way from Canada to Florida. Its large, heart-shaped leaves make it a favorite browse item among many of the animals here at the Zoo. Before Andazi the black rhino left for Little Rock Zoo, it was always one of her favorites. At this age, Ya Lun and Xi Lun will chew on and investigate just about anything. After checking out the new browse, Xi Lun was chewing on the leaves and breaking the bark. It’s not as tough as bamboo, so it was good practice for her culming technique on an easier “victim.” We also gave some to Yang Yang, and he enjoyed it, too! Yang Yang also really enjoys eating mulberry, despite his predisposition to love bamboo. It’s always fun to offer new items to the bears, and it looks like this one was a big enough hit to offer again in the future.
Danica W.
Swing Keeper I, Mammals

(photo by Danica W.)