There’s a reason for that cute round panda face…. a spectacular set of jaw muscles. Pandas spend about 12 hours a day chomping and chewing bamboo, and their paws are specially adapted for a good grip. In the wild, the fibrous plant makes up about 99 % of their diet, with the remaining percent most likely to be scavenged fruit. Food is an integral part of training the pandas – and in Funi’s case, she needs to get used to human contact as part of preparation for breeding.
China requires that any cubs born overseas as part of its panda exchange are returned…. But only once they are ready to leave their mothers… so Adelaide would enjoy the pitter patter of little paws for a good 18 months.