Zoo Bamboo

Had a look at the bamboo plantings at Adelaide Zoo recently...and they are looking beautiful. A lot of running species (Phyllostachys) because that is cold climate traditional panda food...you don't have a thick coat like that for no reason! Wang Wang the male panda is quite active,eating his 'bamboo cake' with gusto (the Zoo mixes up a  'cake' made from bamboo leaves and extra nutritional supplements which the animals seem to love) and wandering around his beautifully landscaped enclosure. They have cordoned off the huge Moreton Bay Fig which overhangs the panda pad, because Funi developed a liking for the figs dropping off the tree, and guess what -got diarrhoea! Then she introduced Wang Wang to the figs and hey-a running disaster! Anyway, a temporary fence has been set up, and Funi has retired to her enclosure with a phantom pregnancy. Apparently this is not uncommon. So, even though they didn't get it together when she was on heat last spring, she's practising! Meanwhile back to the bamboo.

They have planted a lovely ground cover bamboo called Sasa in the enclosure,,,it's from Japan and thrives in part shade, creating a thick leafy mat, about ankle height. It is a runner so you need to contain it, but it's great in the right situation. Check it out next time you're at the Zoo.

Effects of Climate

Bamboo is really responsive to the food and drink it gets....give it what it likes and away she grows! This was made even more apparent when a bamboo expert visited this week. Looking at the fact that Adelaide has about 6 months of growing season and Southern Queensland has about 9 months, our growth rates and size is about 2/3 of what they can get! It kind of makes sense really... They still struggle with Timor Black in the winter though...