Pandas to return to China as Canada zoo runs short of bamboo during pandemic

Adult female panda Er Shun, one of two being returned to China by Canada's Calgary Zoo due to the difficulty of obtaining their food of fresh bamboo due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) related logistical problems, is seen in an undated photograph provided May 13, 2020. Calgary Zoo/Handout via REUTERS.

Unable to import enough bamboo due to coronavirus disruptions, the Calgary Zoo in Canada is sending two giant pandas back to China years ahead of schedule.

The pandas, Er Shun and Da Mao, will return to China where bamboo is abundant. Giant pandas consume 40 kg (88 lbs) of bamboo a day and it makes up 99% of their diet, the zoo said.

Before the pandemic, bamboo was flow directly from China to Calgary. Those flights have been canceled, forcing the zoo to find new ways to import bamboo. Shipments are now often delayed, resulting in poor quality bamboo the pandas refuse to eat.

FILE PHOTO: Prime Minister Stephen Harper (R), his wife Laureen, and Zhang Junsai Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Canada look at one of two panda bears that arrived on loan for 10 years, later to be housed at the Calgary Zoo, at Pearson International airport in Toronto, Ontario, Canada March 25, 2013. REUTERS/Fred Thornhill/File Photo

The zoo believes a second wave of COVID-19 is likely and could completely cut off the panda's food supply.

"We believe the best and safest place for Er Shun and Da Mao to be during these challenging and unprecedented times is where bamboo is abundant and easy to access," said Calgary Zoo President and CEO Clément Lanthier in a statement.

Er Shun and Da Mao arrived in Canada in 2014 as part of a 10-year agreement between Canada and China. After spending five years at the Toronto Zoo, the two adult giant pandas arrived at the Calgary Zoo in March 2018 with cubs, Jia Panpan and Jia Yueyue.

Adult female panda Er Shun, one of two being returned to China by Canada's Calgary Zoo due to the difficulty of obtaining their food of fresh bamboo due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) related logistical problems, is seen in an undated photograph provided May 13, 2020. Calgary Zoo/Handout via REUTERS.

(Writing by Lisa Shumaker, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)

Adult male panda Da Mao, one of two being returned to China by Canada's Calgary Zoo due to the difficulty of obtaining their food of fresh bamboo due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) related logistical problems, is seen in an undated photograph provided May 13, 2020. Calgary Zoo/Handout via REUTERS.

Adult male panda Da Mao, one of two being returned to China by Canada's Calgary Zoo due to the difficulty of obtaining their food of fresh bamboo due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) related logistical problems, is seen in an undated photograph provided May 13, 2020. Calgary Zoo/Handout via REUTERS.