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.
ANSWER:
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.
