Panda Updates – Friday, May 11

Right now is the peak of bamboo shoot season. We are feeding Yang Yang, Lun Lun, Ya Lun and Xi Lun almost exclusively bamboo shoots! During shoot season, wild giant pandas only consume bamboo shoots, and can eat up to 80 pounds of them per day. Bamboo shoots are dense and packed with nutrition. We primarily feed shoots from the species Henon (Pyllostachys nigra ‘henon’), which you can see has filled up our bamboo cooler. Because the giant pandas do not eat the adult Henon bamboo very well, we can harvest the shoots instead. We do not want to harvest bamboo shoots of bamboo that the pandas eat regularly, because we need that bamboo to mature to feed the pandas in future years. Sadly, shoot season doesn’t last long, but the pandas sure do enjoy it while it lasts!
Heather R.
Senior Keeper, Carnivores

(photo by Heather R.)