PANDAS

Giant pandas live in bamboo forests in remote mountainous regions of western China. The majority can be found in Sichuan province but they also inhabit areas in the neighbouring provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu.The cool wet environment provides the perfect habitat for giant pandas that feed almost exclusively on bamboo.The reason behind the black and white coat is unknown, but it is thought that the colouring provides camouflage for giant pandas in their natural environment.Giant pandas are shy animals that prefer to live alone. Using their heightened sense of smell, giant pandas detect the scent of other giant pandas close by and avoid them. The only exception is during the breeding season (March to May) when males use their sense of smell to locate females.

Giant pandas have a bear like appearance. Their distinctive black and white colouring makes them one of the best-known species in the world. They can reach 6 ft (1.9 m) in height and in the wild weigh around 220–250 lb (110–115 kg), although adult males can weigh up to 350 lbs (160 kg).

Unlike other bears, giant pandas do no hibernate during winter months, but instead may migrate short distances to lower elevations. The simple answer as to why pandas don’t hibernate is that they cannot stop eating. The low nutritional value of bamboo prevents them from building fat reserves to last them through the winter.

WHERE WILL YOU FIND THEM

You will find the pandas at pen E36, right next to the insect house