Panda Updates – Friday, October 5

Wild giant pandas typically eat bamboo leaves from April through October when the leaves are fresh and tender. However, our giant pandas rarely eat leaves throughout the summer. They eat a few leaves in early spring when they are brand-new, and then again for about a month in late fall. The rest of the year, they prefer to eat the stem, or culm, of the bamboo. However, this summer, all of the giant pandas have preferred eating new-growth leaves. It’s been an interesting and welcome development. New-growth leaves are much easier to find during the summer, as opposed to the old-growth culms that they usually prefer to eat. Our Bamboo Team has not had to struggle so much this summer to find bamboo that the giant pandas will eat. I know this leafing season will not last much longer as the temperatures cool down, but we are enjoying it while it lasts.
Heather R.
Senior Keeper, Carnivores