Environment

Pandas in China put on bamboo rations

by LotusFlower | June 23, 2008 at 11:31 am

481 views | 11 Recommendations | 6 comments

The breeding programme of China's captive panda population could be at risk due to forced rationing of bamboo. This compounds the news that their wildlife habitat was damaged by the recent earthquake.

China's captive pandas are to be put on rations after the Sichuan earthquake destroyed large tracts of bamboo forest.

The magnitude eight earthquake triggered landslides which poured down the mountain-sides that are home not only to wild pandas but also to the bamboo that is the major part of their diet.

And so, after years of having their feeding habits, sex lives and even bowel movements studied and analysed by a friendly but prurient public, the 67 residents of the Chengdu giant panda research base are now being forced to diet.

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rpshen

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 11:49 on June 23rd, 2008

LotusFlower, I like this story. It's good stuff. That's so sad! There are so few of them.

Amy Judd

at 11:33 on June 24th, 2008

Haven't they been traumatized enough!?

Rob Walker

at 11:33 on June 24th, 2008

These poor giant Pandas in China's Sichuan province have had their rations cut to almost *half* due to a severe food shortage following the deadly earthquake last month.

Other captive pandas living in a reserve near the epicenter of the quake had been moved to breeding centers in safer areas. The damage to the forest has caused a lack of bamboo, which has seriously depleted the reserves' stores.

The Wolong center sustained serious damage, with 14 of 32 panda houses destroyed, and the reserve may not be able to open for a year or longer because the access roads were largely washed out.

An estimated 1,400 pandas, about 80% of those surviving in the wild, live in the earthquake-affected areas where landslides, soil erosion and flooding may have reduced their main food source, bamboo, Chinese forestry officials say.

The eight pandas already had been selected to come to Beijing as part of a special zoo exhibit for the Summer Olympics, but their arrival was hastened by the extensive damage to the nature reserve. Now, instead of merely looking cute and advertising the Olympic Games, which will begin Aug. 8, they are being used for fundraising.

Wu Daifu, a panda keepers, explains how China's famous pandas were protected after the devastating quake struck China on May 12.

LotusFlower

at 11:38 on June 24th, 2008

Great additions to this story Rob - I know you posted a story on their habitat loss due to the earthquake and zoo story just compounds this - be great if they weren't such picky eaters - their digestive system can cope with food other than bamboo but they just love bamboo!

racso

at 22:42 on July 2nd, 2008

According rencent news, the missing giant pandas in Shichuan Wolong reserve have been found except one. Due to the poor condition of reserve, most of pandas has been tranfered to Bifengxia panda base from Wolong. And now more volunteers are required. If you love pandas, and want to do something for them such as volunteer please visit: http://pandatour.com.cn

Anonymous (not verified)

at 00:11 on July 10th, 2008

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Many stars plan to create a team to support this.