Bacon and Eggs and Bamboo
Posted at 11:21 am June 2, 2006 by Suzanne Hall
What did you have for breakfast this morning? Bacon and eggs? Cereal and milk? What would you do if tomorrow you woke up and there were no more bacon and eggs or cereal and milk left in the world to eat?
That’s a type of real-world dilemma faced by the giant panda from time to time. As you know, these bears rely on bamboo as their primary food source in the wild. Once in a while, all of the bamboo of a particular species will simultaneously flower and die. At that time, that bamboo species is no longer available to be eaten by the pandas; that is, no more bacon and eggs!
This flowering and death of bamboo is a necessary part of the grass’s life cycle (yes, bamboo is a type of grass!). Once the plants flower, they set seed and develop new bamboo plantings that will have a long life ahead of them. In this way, they are not much different than your average flowering plant, whose flowers hold the future of the species in the form of the pollen and eggs. One major difference is that once a bamboo flowers and sets seed, it dies.
Most of the time, only a percentage of any given bamboo species will flower and die. On occasion, however, large tracts containing most or all of the bamboo species will die. How often this occurs depends on the species itself, but reports range from every 60 to 120 years. Even when this does occur on a grand scale within a species, the pandas in the wild are usually able to compensate by eating remaining bamboo species growing in the same area: in effect, they switch to cereal and milk.
In the 1980s, many wild pandas experienced tremendous stress when large tracts of bamboo of multiple species began flowering. In some areas, all of the major species of bamboo died off. These pandas faced starvation, and were driven to lower altitudes in their hunt for food. There, they often stumbled into farmer’s homes and fields, looking for anything to fill their bellies. And yet other pandas on other mountains were able to survive, since bamboo in their area did not flower with the same magnitude.
One consequence of human encroachment is that corridors between areas of good panda habitat have been cut off. This may have obvious repercussions on the ability of pandas to find each other during mating season, but it can be deadly for pandas during mass bamboo flowering episodes. If a panda can’t move from an area of dense bamboo flowering to one where flowering is more limited, it will suffer. One goal in conserving the panda should be to establish good corridors for panda transit. China has begun working on that problem recently. Here’s hoping the pandas are able to use the corridors successfully!
Suzanne Hall is the senior research laboratory technician for the San Diego Zoo’s Office of Giant Panda Conservation.
Bai Yun is pictured above. She doesn’t have to worry about a bamboo shortage!
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June 2nd, 2006 at 2:06 pm
Thank you, Suzanne, for the interesting blog on bamboo cycles and how devastating they can be to pandas in the wild. Since pandas have few animal predators in their lives, we human beings have to accept our own responsibility for their plight. The encroachment of people into the panda habitats has forced the panda into smaller and smaller regions, higher in the mountains, and may cause catastrophe should another massive bamboo flowering occur. I know that we complain about the prices that zoos have to pay to ” rent” pandas for a span of time, but if we can believe that some of this cash will help the Chinese to develop other means of subsistence besides farming or otherwise destroying wild bamboo tracts, we can hope that the pandas will be able to maintain and hopefully expand their numbers in the wild…Pamela G.–I too am a huge fan of your Su Lin interviews and poems. You show her personality to be the sweet and intelligent girl I always imagine her in my mind…Christine(NJ)–I’m always available for vacation and holiday duty when you need a break at the panda nursery- lol!
June 2nd, 2006 at 5:19 pm
Suzanne–Thank you for the information on bamboo, which makes clear the precarious situation of pandas in the wild. To think that the livelihood of such big, beautiful creatures rests on the availability of such slim (relatively) grasses. Speaking of big and beautiful–what a great photo of Bai Yun! I always enjoy looking at that gorgeous momma bear.
And thanks, Pamela G., for your latest interview with the panda princess and for publishing her ” Frooties Song.” I just loved reading them.
June 3rd, 2006 at 9:57 pm
Suzanne, thank you soooooo much for this insightful blog topic. I have a question if you don’t mind…I have read various books on Pandas and in the ’80s the Chinese were working with WWF to implement a strategy for relocating pandas in affected die-off areas. Another option was to plant several different species of bamboo for the pandas in their range should they experience another catastrophe so the bamboo would not simultaneously flower. Being since you are somewhat close to the issue (i.e. have access to Wolong info) can you tell us what has been done to prevent another tragedy as occured in the ’80s? I do know that they have enlisted the communities in reporting sick pandas and compensating the farmers for any expense incurred. I would rest a bit assured is this question was answered. When I first read about this crisis (and observed a photo of a poor panda that starved!) I was horrified…there is a very real possibility many pandas could die again!!
I know the Chinese are doing an excellent job at protecting the Giant Panda (and the little Red Panda et. al.) as well as the entire ecosystem, but I haven’t found a book or article that has an update…
Thanks for your info and keeping us ” Panda Lovers” up to date…P.S. Any news on Xiang Xiang? It’s been a little over a month since he’s been released.
Kristi – TX
June 5th, 2006 at 5:28 am
This is off-topic (but still panda-related), but can we get an updated pic of Su Lin on the main panda page?
Editor’s note: A new photo will post at 6 p.m. today.
June 5th, 2006 at 2:01 pm
Thanks for the interesting info about bamboo natural history. It is unfortunate that the pandas are no longer able to reach better foraging sites due to a lack of corridors. Were the corridors that the panda’s used previously composed of bamboo forest, or is it another type of ecosystem? Also, is there any research indicating how large the restored corridors should be in order for the pandas to use them?
June 5th, 2006 at 4:12 pm
Thank you, thank you, thank you to the fabulous camera operator this afternoon! I so enjoyed watching Su Lin play in her pool and with her ball, and of course her sweet Mama. Great job and very much appreciated!
::standing ovation::
June 6th, 2006 at 5:52 am
Postcard hasn’t been working since Monday morning.
Editor’s note: We’re working on it–thanks for letting us know.
June 7th, 2006 at 10:22 am
I just read a Chinese news story about relocating an entire village located within a nature reserve in order to protect endangered species, especially pandas, that live in the reserve. The government will relocate the villagers to another area, which would also help them overcome poverty. Areas once occupied by the villagers (houses, farm lands, etc.) will be replaced by bamboo and other vegetation to support giant pandas and other species. The plan is already in progress, and the relocation and replantation should be complete by the end of 2007.
Quite extreme, but if this plan will benefit both the people and the animals, I just have to cross my fingers.
June 12th, 2006 at 7:53 pm
Really enjoy the Webcam and Weblog. Have been watching since the birth of Mei Sheng. I have not seen any recent news on the topic of sending Mei Sheng to China. Can you publish the plans? I am planning a trip to the San Diego Zoo soon especially to visit the Panda exhibit. Where can I find a schedule of which Panda is on exhibit on certain days? I hope to see Mei Sheng and of course Su Lin. Is this information available? I’ve enjoyed watching Mei Sheng grow so much and I would like to see him on my trip. I will be visiting from Texas. Thanks for sharing this wonderful experience of working with the Pandas.
Yolanda Gonzalez