The Calgary Zoo will be returning two giant pandas on loan from China because a scarcity of flights due to COVID-19 has caused problems with getting enough bamboo to feed them. 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.
The zoo’s president, Clement Lanthier, said last week the facility spent months trying to overcome transportation barriers in acquiring fresh bamboo and decided it’s best for the animals to be in China, where their main food source is abundant.
“It’s about the animals. At the end of the day, we cannot pretend that we care for animals if we don’t take those tough decisions,” Lanthier said. “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.”
Photo: Reuters 照片：路透
Lanthier said the zoo had contingency plans for a steady supply of fresh bamboo, but limits on flights from China was the first problem. Transporting more from California added even more frustrations.
“Every week, every 10 days there is more and more problem moving bamboo to Calgary. This risk is unacceptable. We don’t feel comfortable at all that we can impose that risk on the health and the welfare of the pandas.” According to Lanthier, the animals didn’t like some kinds of bamboo and other supplies that arrived were past their expiry point.
Giant pandas have unique nutritional requirements and 99 percent of their diet is made up of fresh bamboo. Each adult consumes about 40kg daily. Lanthier said the news came as a bit of a shock to the Chinese government. In other locations where pandas are exhibited — such as France, Spain and parts of Asia — bamboo can be grown locally.
Photo: Reuters 照片：路透
He said the pandas had been one of the biggest draws at the Calgary Zoo, but the decision wasn’t one about business.
“It’s based on animal welfare. I cannot imagine if one day, two days, three days in a row I am unable to provide the bamboo. That would be catastrophic.” There’s no date for when the pandas will return home. Lanthier doesn’t want the Canadian and Chinese governments to delay things. “We need the federal government and the Chinese government to expedite the permit process, so we can move them back to where this risk of not getting their next meal will be managed differently,” he said.
(AP)
Photo: Reuters 照片：路透
加拿大卡加利動物園將歸還從中國借來的兩隻貓熊，因為武漢肺炎所造成的航班稀缺，沒辦法運來足夠的竹子來餵養貓熊。加拿大和中國簽署了一份為期十年的協議，貓熊二順與大毛便在二?一四來到了加拿大。牠們在多倫多動物園待了五年，後來這兩隻貓熊和牠們所生的小貓熊加盼盼和加悅悅一起到了卡加利動物園。
卡加利動物園園長克萊蒙‧蘭提耶上週表示，園方花了數月的時間嘗試解決新鮮竹子的運補問題，後來做出結論——對這些貓熊來說，待在中國是最好的，因為在中國，牠們有充裕的主食來源。
「這是為了動物著想。畢竟，我們如果不做出這艱難的決定，就不能假裝我們是愛護動物的」，蘭提耶說。「我們相信，在這充滿挑戰及不可預見情況的時期，對二順和大毛來說最理想、最安全的地方，就是竹子充裕且容易取得的地方」。蘭提耶表示，卡加利動物園有確保新鮮竹子穩定供應的應變計畫，但第一個問題是，來自中國的航班受到限縮。從加州運多些竹子來，就更令人挫折。「每過一週、十天，運竹子到卡加利所要面臨的問題就越來越多。這種風險是無法接受的。我們一點都不願意給貓熊的健康與福祉帶來這種風險」。蘭提耶說，貓熊不喜歡吃某些品種的竹子，以及運達時已過期的其他補給品。
Photo courtesy of calgary zoo via Reuters 照片：卡加利動物園提供／路透
貓熊有獨特的營養需求，新鮮竹子佔了貓熊飲食的百分之九十九。每隻成年貓熊每天要吃大約四十公斤的竹子。蘭提耶說，決定送還貓熊的消息令中國政府感到震驚。在其他展示貓熊的地方——例如法國、西班牙和一些亞洲地區——當地都可以種植竹子。
他說，貓熊是卡加利動物園吸引遊客的最大賣點之一，但送還貓熊這個決定跟生意無關。
「這是基於動物的福利。我不能想像如果連續一天、兩天、三天無法提供竹子。那會很悲慘」。貓熊送回中國的日期尚未確定。蘭提耶不希望加拿大和中國政府拖延此事。他說：「我們需要聯邦政府和中國政府加快許可證辦理程序，以便我們將貓熊運送到不用擔心下一餐沒著落的地方」。
（台北時報林俐凱編譯）
Questions
1. Where do pandas originate from? What is the main diet of pandas and how much do they have to eat per day?
2. Why did Calgary Zoo decide to return the pandas?
3. When and why did the pandas Er Shun and Da Mao arrive in Canada?
4. How many pandas will Canada return to China on this occasion?
(Lin Lee-kai, Taipei Times)
An outbreak aboard a cruise ship of a rare rodent-borne illness called hantavirus has left three passengers dead and sickened others, but global health officials say the risk to the general public remains low because the germ does not easily spread between people. “This is not the next COVID, but it is a serious infectious disease,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness at the World Health Organization (WHO). “Most people will never be exposed to this.” The virus usually spreads when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings. Hantaviruses have been around for centuries and are thought to
Have you ever wondered how people navigate the world when they can’t see a map? For individuals with visual impairments, conventional maps are nearly impossible to use. This is where tactile maps come in — essential tools that allow people to “see” the world through touch. A tactile map is specially designed with raised lines, textures, and symbols to represent geographical features such as roads, rivers, and buildings. Users explore it with their fingertips. However, these maps are not exclusively for people with visual disabilities. They serve as valuable multisensory learning tools that enhance spatial understanding for everyone, making
1. 他病了三天。 ˇ He has been sick for three days. χ He has been sick since three days. 註︰這裡現在完成時態 have / has been 表示從過去某一時日到現在的一段時間存在的行為或狀態，與它連用的時間副詞應為 「for ＋若干時」，如 for a year, for three hours 等，意思是歷時多少。 2. 他自從星期三以來都很忙。 ˇ He has been busy since Wednesday. χ He has been busy from Wednesday. 註︰「自從……以來」，該用 since。說從某一天（某一時刻）到某一天（某一時刻）才用 from，如 from Monday till Friday。 3. 房間角落裡散放著一些零星物件。 ˇ There were some odds and ends lying in the corner of the room. χ There were some odds and ends lying at the corner of the room. 註︰「在房間角落裡」該用介詞 in。例如： He stood in the corner. There is a lamp in the corner of the room. at the corner 指房子外部的拐角。例如： A little boy
A growing green movement allows hotel guests to fund tree planting projects simply by opting out of daily room cleans. This approach turns an ordinary hotel stay into a direct contribution to nature. Founded in the Netherlands, the nonprofit “Hotels for Trees” operates on the principle that one skipped cleaning equals one new tree. It has planted more than 750,000 trees since 2021. Similarly, Sarnia Hotels in Guernsey donates ￡2 per refused clean. Since 2024, over 3,300 services have been cancelled, raising sufficient money to plant 1,100 native trees and hedgerows. Simplicity has been central to this success.
RSS