Give the panda a biscuit
2003-11-10 20:19
China - China has built a biscuit factory to cater exclusively for the nutritional needs of its captive giant pandas.
The factory is making bamboo-shaped biscuits which contain higher levels of fibre and vitamins than their normal diet, reports the China Daily Newspaper.
Steamed bread, the staple food for most captive giant pandas after fresh bamboo, loses much of its nutritional value in cooking, resulting in malnutrition for many pandas.
Experts at the Giant Panda Breeding and Research Centre in the city of Chengdu set up the factory in the hope that the biscuits would solve the problem.
The biscuits are being given to 30 pandas at the centre, and are now apparently the top dish on their menu.
They are so popular that experts plan to expand the idea to animals in captivity across the country. - Ananova.com