Bamboo and pandas
Short answer: The giant panda lives almost entirely on bamboo and eats large amounts every day. The species pandas eat are not the same as those grown for textiles, and they grow in different areas.
The panda's diet
The giant panda eats mainly bamboo, including leaves, stems and shoots. It belongs to the carnivore order and has a digestive system that is not very good at breaking down plants. So it gets only a small share of the nutrients from what it eats and has to eat a lot in return. The rest of the time it rests to save energy.
Much of the day
Because the nutritional value of bamboo is low, the panda spends a large part of the day eating. It often sits holding the stems in its paws while it strips off leaves and shoots. Which parts it prefers changes through the year, depending on what is fresh and most nourishing in that season.
Particular species
Pandas eat particular bamboo species that grow in particular mountain areas of China. These species thrive in cool, damp forests at altitude, often as undergrowth between the trees. A wild panda usually relies on a couple of species and moves through the landscape to where they grow best.
Textile bamboo
The species grown industrially for textiles are grown on plantations and are not panda food. They are sturdy species chosen because they produce a lot of plant mass, and they grow in different regions from the pandas' mountain forests. More on which species become fibres in which bamboo species is used for clothing.
Flowering
When bamboo flowers and dies in an area, it affects the pandas' food supply. Because plants of the same origin often flower at roughly the same time, a large part of a stand can disappear at once. The pandas then have to find other species or other areas until the new plants have grown up. Read more in when bamboo flowers.
A grass as food
The panda can live on bamboo because the plant is a grass that grows quickly and shoots again from the roots. New shoots appear every year, so there is food even when the animals keep eating from the same plants. Read more about the plant in is bamboo a grass or a tree.
From plant to fabric
Textile production uses the mature stems of plantation grown bamboo. They are cut, processed and spun into yarn that is knitted into fabric. This part of the process has nothing to do with the pandas' habitats. See the whole journey in from bamboo plant to soft fabric.
Why the mix up happens
Many people link bamboo with pandas and therefore assume that textile production harms them. The species and the areas are different, though. When choosing clothes, it is the fabric weight, knit and fit that are worth looking at. See the textiles in bamboo clothing for women and bamboo clothing for men.
Frequently asked questions
Do pandas eat the bamboo that clothes are made from?
No. Pandas eat particular species that grow in mountain forests in China. Textile bamboo is made from other, sturdy species grown on plantations in different areas.
Why do pandas eat so much bamboo?
Because the nutritional value of bamboo is low and the panda's digestion is not very good at handling plants. It therefore has to eat large amounts to get enough energy each day.
What happens when bamboo flowers?
The plants often die after flowering, and if that happens across a whole area, the pandas lose part of their food. They then have to look for other species or places.
You can find the full range at Bamboo-Clothing.com.
