QUESTION:
For many, one of the main attractions of coming
to China is the chance to see the giant Pandas.
Giant pandas are black and white bears that
live in temperate-zone bamboo forests in central
and southwestern China. Among the best recognized,
but rarest, animals in the world, they have
come to symbolize endangered species and conservation
efforts.
A wild giant panda's diet is almost exclusively
(99 percent) bamboo. The balance consists
of other grasses and occasional small rodents
or musk deer fawns. In zoos, giant pandas
eat bamboo, sugar cane, rice gruel, a special
high-fiber biscuit, carrots, apples, and sweet
potatoes.
How much does a giant Panda eat each day:
A. 100 pounds;
B. 50 pounds;
C. 5 pounds;
D. 80 pounds.
ANSWERS:
D is spot on! Pandas are virtual eating
machines, eating for around 12-16 hours a
day!
Pandas have no natural enemies other than
man. Hopefully man will learn to be friends
with the pandas and not the foe that we have
been for centuries so that pandas can live
on for all to come and see in China.
