China News Agency, Toronto, August 5 (Reporter Yu Ruidong) The Calgary Zoo in Canada said on August 5 local time that due to international travel restrictions, the two giant pandas that were planned to be sent back to China in advance are still stranded in Calgary. And is facing the challenge of "breaking cooking".
The Calgary Zoo announced on May 12 this year that due to the impact of the new crown epidemic, the fresh bamboo supply chain has encountered challenges. The giant pandas "Da Mao" and "Ershun" leased to Canada by China will bid farewell to Canadians and return to China in advance. However, almost 3 months later, they have not yet made a trip. The zoo said that concerns about the health of pandas are increasing day by day.
The zoo stated that it has not yet obtained a cross-border transportation permit for the two pandas. Zoo president and CEO Clément Lanthier (Clément Lanthier) said the situation is endangering the health of pandas.
At present, the fresh bamboo for the two pandas is purchased by the zoo from British Columbia on the west coast of Canada, but the zoo said that this supply is expected to last until September.
For giant pandas, 99% of the food is fresh bamboo. Each adult giant panda consumes about 40 kg of fresh bamboo per day. "If the bamboo cannot be sent to the panda, I hope to send the panda to the bamboo," the zoo said in a press release.
According to the agreement between the governments of China and Canada, the Chengdu male giant panda "Da Mao" and the Chongqing female giant panda "Er Shun" went to Canada in March 2013. The original plan was to live there for 10 years. They lived in Toronto for 5 years. Meanwhile, "Er Shun" gave birth to dragon and phoenix twins "Jia Panpan" and "Jia Yueyue" on October 13, 2015 with the help of artificial insemination technology. This is the first pair of panda cubs successfully bred and born in Canada. In March 2018, 4 giant pandas moved to Calgary.
The Calgary Zoo implemented artificial insemination for "Er Shun" in April 2019, but failed to make it pregnant again. In mid-January this year, the 4-year-old Jia Panpan and Jia Yueyue returned to China in accordance with relevant agreements to join the giant panda breeding program. "Da Mao" and "Er Shun" will originally live in Calgary until 2023.
The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding also told the media in mid-May this year that due to the impact of the epidemic, the capacity of international flights has declined, and China's fresh bamboo cannot be airlifted to Canada in time. After discussing with Canada, the Panda Base decided to terminate the cooperation and let the giant pandas return home in advance. (Finish)