Bamboo shipment gives giant pandas plenty to munch on at Shanghai Zoo

When a truck loaded with bamboo arrived at Shanghai Zoo on Wednesday, Pei Enle, president of the zoo, was relieved that the pandas would have enough food at least for the next week.

The two giant pandas, together with 11 red pandas, were about to finish all the bamboo in storage as the closed-loop management of the zoo had been prolonged into a sixth week due to the current outbreak of COVID-19 in Shanghai.

"The lockdown of the city posed some challenges to the feeding of animals in the zoo, especially for pandas that live specially on bamboo," Pei said, adding that previously the zoo bought bamboo every week from Anji, Zhejiang province.

The zoo had stored some 1,000 kilograms of bamboo leaves and 750 kg of bamboo shoots before the lockdown started on April 1, and since then the keepers have been cutting small bamboo plants in the zoo to supplement supplies.

But it was still not enough to keep up with the daily consumption of some 50 kg of bamboo by the pandas.

"With support from related departments, we got a pass to go to Sheshan Forest Farm and cut bamboo there," Pei said. "The problem is now solved."