Zoo Professional Discovers Dietary Trends In Giant Pandas_40911

Cuddly and cute are words commonly used to describe giant pandas. Zoo experts might also add finicky to that list. Known to pick up bamboo stalks with their thumb pads, giant pandas sometimes sniff and lick bamboo before refusing to eat it, says Dr. Andrew Kouba, a Morris Animal Foundation (MAF)杅unded scientist at the Memphis Zoo.

In China, wild giant pandas forage bamboo leaves and culm (stalk) most of the year. However, during late spring and early summer, they eat bamboo shoots almost exclusively.

Dr. Kouba's research helps explain why giant pandas梬ho weigh in at about 250 pounds梥eek out specific bamboo parts and species at different times of the year. Knowing the reasons for dietary selections could positively affect nutritional health and even captive reproduction for this endangered member of the bear family.

"They're choosing different parts and species of bamboo for energy requirements," explains Dr. Kouba, whose initial MAF杅unded studies assessed macronutrients of protein, fat, fiber, sugar and starch in the panda diet and prompted him to question whether the nutritional requirements of captive pandas are being met. Gastrointestinal problems from poor nutrition are the No. 1 cause of premature death
and stunted growth syndrome for captive giant pandas, which can live up to 30 years in captivity, Dr. Kouba says.

Bamboo shoots, which can grow 7 to 8 feet in one week, contain tremendous amounts of sugar and starch. These shoots are a staple food source in the wild, yet they are rarely fed to captive animals. Typically, bamboo shoots are reserved as treats. In lieu of eating soft supple bamboo shoots almost exclusively (like wild pandas), captive bears eat more culm. Culm is a hard substance (think bamboo
flooring) that may actually damage the intestines because of its large woody fiber content, says Dr. Kouba, who suspects the damage may cause mucoids (a fecal stool that resembles diarrhea) and shedding of the damaged cell layers of the intestinal wall.

Dr. Kouba is leading a new MAF杅unded animal health study to evaluate the nutritional composition of bamboo shoots compared to mature bamboo and to relate these findings to diet preferences and health. Evidence to date suggests that carbohydrates may be the driving force behind the giant panda's bamboo plant part and species selections. Although worldwide there are thousands of bamboo species, only three are native to the United States.

Dr. Kouba's research may also shed light on reproductive problems. Almost half the pregnancies in China's captive pandas result in twins. Yet captive pandas in the United States have never birthed twins, despite early evidence of two fetuses. Although it is supposition at this point, Dr. Kouba wonders whether more twin births would occur in this country if dietary adjustments were made, especially in feeding more bamboo shoots during early pregnancy.

As evidence mounts that bamboo selection influences panda health and reproduction, Dr. Kouba hopes to change nutritional policies and bamboo farm management to ensure that bamboo shoots are readily available and fed en masse during spring and early summer.