Adult female panda Er Shun, one of two being returned to China by Canada’s Calgary Zoo due to the difficulty of obtaining their food of fresh bamboo due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) related logistical problems, is seen in an undated photograph provided May 13, 2020. Calgary Zoo/Handout via REUTERS.
(Reuters) – Unable to import enough bamboo due to coronavirus disruptions, the Calgary Zoo in Canada is sending two giant pandas back to China years ahead of schedule.
The pandas, Er Shun and Da Mao, will return to China where bamboo is abundant. Giant pandas consume 40 kg (88 lbs) of bamboo a day and it makes up 99% of their diet, the zoo said.
Before the pandemic, bamboo was flow directly from China to Calgary. Those flights have been canceled, forcing the zoo to find new ways to import bamboo. Shipments are now often delayed, resulting in poor quality bamboo the pandas refuse to eat.
The zoo believes a second wave of COVID-19 is likely and could completely cut off the…
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