The fauna that lives in the tropical jungles of the planet has one of the widest and most varied diets in the animal world. Fruits, leaves, insects, seeds, nuts and other animals make up the food of vegetarian, carnivorous and omnivorous species.
Despite this variety, there are species like the red panda that, almost exclusively, feed on a precious green shoot: bamboo. Although this small mammal belongs to the order of carnivores, 90 percent of their diet is made up of this plant. It is estimated that a red panda should ingest about 20 percent of its body weight in bamboo every day. The red pandas They are related to all carnivores, but they have surprisingly adapted to eating bamboo, since it is the main plant in the areas where they live, such as the forests of Nepal, northern Burma and Hunan and Schuan in China.
In the case of Chang and Maggie, the specimens that live in conservation centers such as BIOPARC FuengirolaThese amounts amount to almost half a kilo of bamboo per day accompanied by a wide variety of fruits and accessories.. The fact that these small mammals need these large proportions of bamboo to cover their nutritional requirements means that the technical team of the Malaga park is constantly searching for suppliers that guarantee that the red pandas receive this very special food.
BIOPARC Fuengirola receives, every two weeks, 6 kilos of freshly cut and selected bamboo with the freshest leaves, from Bamboo Park, a nursery specialized in the organic cultivation of this plant. This provision allows their needs to be met and their well-being guaranteed.
It is not just any bamboo, they need the most tender and recently sprouted branches
Red pandas do not eat just any type of bamboo. Of the 1200 species that exist, only a few of these eat. And finding a regular supply of these is a challenge for the BIOPARC team.
Recently the animal park has started a collaboration with the previously named Bamboo Park based in Portugal and considered the most important nursery in Europe in the cultivation of one hundred different species of bamboo. In it, His team grows some varieties native to tropical areas that are the most appreciated by pandas. This highly specialized nursery is the ideal place to produce the bamboo that the two specimens that live in BIOPARC need every day, since it is the collection made up of the most tender branches that have just sprouted in the afternoon, packaging them with care and They send them during the night so that they arrive at the conservation center in Malaga, first thing in the morning.
The work to guarantee food for the red pandas of BIOPARC Fuengirola does not end here. The Zoology team must take care of this precious bamboo and guarantee its proper conservation.. To do this, it is refrigerated in a cold room with a fine spray of water every hour, ensuring that the plant remains fresh for two weeks until the arrival of the next shipment.
Bamboo is a rich source of fiber for red pandas and contains some essential proteins, vitamins and minerals. Additionally, it also provides them with a high water content that helps them stay hydrated in their natural environment. The high fiber content of bamboo makes it very low in energy, which pandas compensate with a lower metabolic level than usual in other carnivores.
In the last 50 years the red panda population has decreased by 40%. The main reason? Deforestation and destruction of their habitat
Red pandas are unique and unique animals that, unfortunately, are in danger of extinction. They live freely in localized areas of Nepal, China, Myanmar, India and Bhutan. The IUCN estimates that there are fewer than 10.000 red pandas left in the wild and that in the last fifty years their population has decreased by 40%.
Red pandas suffer the destruction of their natural habitat. This problem has affected almost all living animals on the planet; but due to a genetically low birth rate, this species is suffering more than others. Even though countries like Nepal, China and Myanmar have passed laws to protect them, the destruction continues.
Deforestation, urbanization and the transformation of land for agriculture are its greatest threats.
Bioparc Fuengirola has been home to this species since 2006. Chang and Maggie are found in the forest canopy area and share space and coexist peacefully with the common cassowary and the short-clawed otter, an example of the success of multispecies enclosures, these represent a stimulation and enrichment for the animals and, in addition, they offer the visitor a much more real image of nature.
