LIVE PANDA WEBCAM AT MEMPHIS ZOO

More info: In April 2003, the Memphis Zoo became one of only four U.S. zoos to exhibit the giant panda. The male is called Ya Ya and the female Le Le. Giant pandas are on the IUCN Red List and the host countries have a contract with China. At Memphis Zoo, an extension signed in 2013 allows the pandas to stay at the zoo until 2023.

A giant panda’s diet is almost 99% bamboo. At the Memphis Zoo, the pandas each eat an average of 25-40 pounds of fresh bamboo depending on the season. Giant pandas are known to be choosey eaters. The pandas will often change their minds about what type of bamboo species they like to snack on, which parts of the plant they will consume and from which source it was harvested. For this reason they need a good assortment of bamboo to choose from.

Memphis Zoo maintains an 11-acre bamboo farm near Shelby Farms, but they still need many other sources to keep a healthy rotation going. The zoo has a dedicated team of bamboo harvesters.