3 to 5 months' supply of bamboo for pandas in China

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Pandas in China. Photo: EFE

Chinese state television said that bamboo, the staple diet of pandas, is in high demand following last month's powerful earthquake in Sichuan province.

Officials say there is only between three to five months' supply of bamboo for the pandas to eat. CCTV reported on Saturday that staff at Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Centre were trying to find fresh supplies of bamboo.

Landslides have cut off the mountainous supplies of bamboo for the pandas, according to the Centre's director. "There are many landslides which are covering the bamboo area, so basically there's no bamboo there. The amount of bamboo which can be purchased or cut has decreased sharply," Zhang Zhihe says.

Despite the food crisis, visitor numbers to the center have returned to pre-earthquake figures, CCTV reported. Meanwhile, in Shifang, soldiers have been rescuing a lion and two tigers abandoned after the quake. The road to Happy Valley Zoo in Shifang was blocked by rubble and subsequent landslides, but the military have managed to reach the zoo and rescue the three big cats which were all suffering from malnutrition, state television reported.

One of the endangered North East Tigers, which can only be found in North Eastern part of China, needed urgent attention, CCTV said. The exact medical condition of the 18-month-old cub was unknown, CCTV said.

Over thirty soldiers helped carry the animals from the zoo in crates for 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) to a temporary landing space for evacuation. Due to bad weather, the animals were unable to be airlifted back to Guanghan immediately.

Local transport then took them to another zoo for treatment on Friday. The lion and two tigers were more than 30 kilograms underweight, CCTV said.