Roaring into the air with an immediately distinguishable silhouette, few plants are more instantly recognizable than bamboo, and few partnerships between plant and animal more iconic. In almost all pictures, videos, and paintings, giant pandas and bamboo are inseparable. However, their partnership goes beyond the aesthetic and has a very real, practical value in giant panda conservation efforts. Ensuring giant pandas have a high-quality, dependable, nutritious food source is both a paramount and
an extremely complicated task. It takes planning, scientific research, an interdisciplinary team, and dedicated boots on the ground to make it happen.

Think Globally, Plant Locally

Luckily, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance already has a long and successful history with both pandas and bamboo. Our first recorded bamboos were planted over 50 years ago as part of our botanical collection, and the numbers have steadily grown ever since. Today we have an accredited bamboo collection that spans both the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park. It contains over 130 species from around the world, with some only a few inches tall and others topping 70 feet. While often thought of as a predominantly Asian plant, bamboo is actually quite widespread throughout the world. Native to five continents, bamboo can be found from humid forests in Chile to the savannas of Ethiopia, with the family conservatively containing over a thousand different species and counting.

While sometimes referred to as a tree, bamboos are actually in the grass family and share many physiological similarities with other grasses. They spread through rhizomes (an underground stem that grows horizontally through the soil) and only produce new growth once per year. This new growth (called “shoots”) emerges from
the ground as spears, reaching maximum height and then developing side branches to become a new bamboo forest almost overnight. For some species of bamboo, this “shooting season” can be quite dramatic, and established bamboo groves can produce thousands of new shoots within a few short months. In fact, bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants in the world, with some species capable of growing several feet in a single day. A common saying among bamboo growers is that bamboo “sleeps,
creeps, then leaps,” referring to how it can be slow to establish new plantings, but then expands exponentially as it builds up momentum.

This unique quality of bamboo coincidentally helps produce the annual volume needed to feed several giant pandas. At the inception of the program in 1996, the Zoo planted several large groves of desirable bamboo species years ahead of time to allow them to mature and establish. What might be surprising is that the vast majority of the bamboo was planted at the Safari Park due to the acreage required for such a vital food source. Fast forward to today, and we now have over six farmed acres of bamboo, with multiple species available to offer on a daily basis.

Sharing the Bounty

The species we grow have evocative names like golden bamboo, yellow groove, and Japanese arrow bamboo, and have been specially chosen for long-term production, nutrition, and palatability. Having these established bamboo groves has been critical to our success in the giant panda program, but we are also able to provide other species of bamboo from our ornamental plantings for novelty and diversity.

This established resource helped us impact conservation beyond our borders as well, as we saw in 2020 when COVID-19 disrupted bamboo deliveries for the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo in Alberta, Canada. When they were unable to receive bamboo shipments from their primary supplier to support their giant pandas, we collaborated
to find a way to ship hundreds of pounds of bamboo weekly for several months and keep their pandas thriving. Once global supply lines were reestablished, we were able to help them transition back to their own suppliers.

"Farm to Table" for Pandas

When we first heard that giant pandas would be returning to the Zoo, our browse teams immediately sprang into action, preparing our bamboo groves for our new wildlife. Our staff at both locations include world-class browse specialists, who grow and manage specialized plants specifically to feed Zoo and Safari Park wildlife. Some of our efforts involved improving soil fertility with organic material and laboratory testing of leaf material to ensure optimum nutrition. We also worked closely with our Chinese partners to identify which species of bamboo would be ideal for our incoming bears based on their personal and natural history. Each bear in our care is unique and has personal preferences, so having the right offerings today, while planning for the future, is an important part of the process.

We then worked closely with the Wildlife Care team to review selection, harvest, and delivery logistics. During the daily harvest, each stalk of bamboo is individually selected for quality and maturity by our browse team and hand-cut to promote overall grove health.The bamboo is then processed into 3- to 4-foot lengths and bundled together by species before being delivered in a cooler for Wildlife Care use. The bamboo bundles are stored at 40 degrees Fahrenheit and kept misted to extend freshness and palatability. These bespoke bundles of bamboo are offered to the bears multiple times a day so they can focus on what they do best: napping and eating.

All of this comes together to create a comprehensive “farm to table” browse program for our hungry wildlife. Animal health and welfare starts with a superior food source, so by providing this day in and day out, the rest of the team can remain focused on the amazing and challenging work of conserving this amazing species. When you visit Panda Ridge and see Xin Bao and Yun Chuan happily eating away, don’t forget to take a moment to appreciate the amazing bamboos we have from around the world that make their lunch possible.