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Article: Not just any bamboo will do for Memphis Zoo's fussy pandas.
- Article from:
- The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
- Article date:
- January 22, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 The Commercial Appeal. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Wayne Risher
Jan. 22--The Memphis Zoo needs new bamboo patches to feed the voracious appetites of giant pandas Ya Ya and Le Le.
And not just any bamboo will do. Officials are looking for 1/4 quarter-acre or larger plots of arrow bamboo, the bears' preferred variety from February into May.
With three farms supplying each panda 40 pounds of bamboo a day, the visitors from China aren't likely to go hungry.
They've gained 30-40 pounds since arriving in April 2003. Male Le Le is up to 210 pounds and female Ya Ya, 190 pounds.
"They're doing great," assistant mammals curator Matt Thompson said.
But keepers believe ...