OTTAWA, Canada — A Canadian zoo is shipping two pandas home to China after the coronavirus pandemic left it struggling to source the massive bamboo stockpiles needed to feed the giant creatures. Er Shun later mothered two twin cubs — the first pandas born on Canadian soil. Staff had worked to find alternative bamboo providers but there were concerns that supplies could be disrupted without warning and leave the animals hungry, the zoo said in a statement. “Knowing a second wave of COVID-19 is likely… the Calgary Zoo feels it’s critical to move the beloved giant pandas back to China where there are abundant local sources of bamboo,” the statement said. The zoo is currently closed due to the pandemic and said it would not be able to allow the public to bid farewell to the animals.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer May 13, 2020 08:15 UTC