Drusillas overwhelmed by public response to bamboo appeal

Drusillas Park has been overwhelmed by the positive response to an appeal for bamboo for its red pandas.
The hungry red pandas now have plenty of bamboo - thanks to the public's help SUS-170613-155827001The hungry red pandas now have plenty of bamboo - thanks to the public's help SUS-170613-155827001
The hungry red pandas now have plenty of bamboo - thanks to the public's help SUS-170613-155827001

The zoo says benefactors have come from far and wide, with contributions not only from the local community but from up and down the country.

It launched an appeal for donations after the hungry red pandas, Mulan and Anmar, chomped their way through a mammoth amount of bamboo.

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Keeping the animals satisfied with enough roots and shoots is an ongoing battle for Drusillas, as their appetite is insatiable – with each individual consuming up to 2kg a day.

Zoo Manager Sue Woodgate said: “We have been completely overwhelmed by the generosity that people have shown. We are currently working our way through a nice long list of people who are willing for us to collect bamboo and willow from them, or are kindly bringing it in for us.

“Our zoo keepers have been busily collecting fresh bamboo from private gardens and even golf courses! It’s great for the red pandas to have such a variety of bamboos to eat.

“We are once again bowled over by the number of people who were going out of their way to help us. On behalf of the pandas and the zoo I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has got in touch.”

Thanks to the huge public response to their appeal, Drusillas’ own bamboo plantation now has time to regrow for the winter.