Málaga, (EFE).- Freshly sprouted and freshly cut bamboo leaves, from a specialized nursery in Portugal, make up the diet of Chang and Maggie, the two red pandas that live in the Bioparc zoo in Fuengirola (Málaga).
This zoo receives six kilograms of bamboo every two weeks. Selected among the freshest leaves grown in the Bambú Parque nursery. Since of the 1,200 species of bamboo that exist, red pandas only eat a few, Bioparc reported this Saturday in a statement.
This Portuguese nursery is considered the most important in Europe for the cultivation of one hundred different species of bamboo. Collect the most tender and recently sprouted branches in the afternoon. He packs them carefully and sends them overnight so they arrive in Fuengirola first thing in the morning.
Back at the zoo, the bamboo is cooled in a cold room with a fine spray of water every hour. To ensure that the plant remains fresh for two weeks until the arrival of the next shipment.
Almost half a kilo of bamboo daily
Bamboo makes up 90 percent of the red panda’s diet. You should be eating about 20 percent of your body weight in bamboo every day.
In the case of Chang and Maggie, these amounts amount to almost half a kilo of bamboo per day. Accompanied with a wide variety of fruits and complements.
Bamboo is a rich source of fiber for red pandas and contains some essential proteins, vitamins and minerals. And it also provides them with a high water content that helps them stay hydrated in their natural environment.
In the last fifty years, the red panda population has declined by 40 percent due to deforestation and habitat destruction.
Red pandas roam free in localized areas of Nepal, China, Myanmar, India and Bhutan, and the IUCN estimates that fewer than 10,000 remain in the wild. EFE