Panda
ZOO: The Shenshuping Gengda Panda Center (Sichuan, China)
ENCLOSURE TYPE: Imitation of the natural environment
Population
There are only an estimated 1600 pandas in the wild and about
325 in captivity.
Habitat
Bamboo will occasionally «die off» forcing pandas to migrate to
other areas to find enough bamboo. Today panda habitat is
limited to the mountains in only a few provinces of southwestern
China.
Nutrition
Bamboo is indispensable for the big panda, 99% of their food is
made up of shoots and leaves of the plant. Bamboo does not have
a high nutritional value. And to meet the daily energy
requirement, pandas need to eat between 23 and 40 kg of
evergreen per day.
Interesting facts
Pandas are slow moving and spend a considerable amount of time
eating (16 — 24 hour period) and sleeping. Giant panda fur is
coarse, dense and somewhat oily. Their coat keeps them warm in
the cool moist climate of the mountain forests.