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.