China’s giant pandas may be running out of food

Giant pandas in the mountains of southwest China are facing a possible food shortage as bamboo plants, their staple diet, near the end of their lifespan, state media said on Monday.
English

Yang Xuyu, deputy head of the Wild Animal Preservation Station of the Sichuan provincial forestry bureau, reportedly issued the warning at a
panda breeding conference on Sunday.

In 1984 and 1987, the west China province witnessed extensive blossoming of the arrow bamboo, the pandas’ favorite. When the plants
flowered, reports said, they seeded and died, leading hundreds of the endangered animals to die of starvation.

"No wild panda has been found dead of starvation. But as the area of bamboo flowering spreads, we should keep close watch on the severity of the pandas’ food shortages," Yang was quoted as saying.

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