Bamboo, the staple diet of pandas, is reportedly in high demand following last month’s powerful earthquake in China’s Sichuan Province. Officials say there is only three to five months' supply of bamboo for the pandas to eat.

"There are many landslides which are covering the bamboo area, so basically there’s no bamboo there. The amount of bamboo which can be purchased or cut has decreased sharply."

Chinese television reported on Saturday that staff at the Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Center were trying to find fresh supplies of bamboo. Despite the food crisis, visitor numbers to the center have returned to pre-earthquake figures. Chinese news media is also reporting that in Shifang [1], soldiers rescued a lion and two tigers abandoned after the quake. According to reports, the road to Happy Valley Zoo in Shenfang was blocked by rubble and subsequent landslides, but the military managed to reach the zoo and rescued the three big cats which were all reportedly suffering from malnutrition. The lion and two tigers were more than 65 pounds underweight. Chinese television reported an endangered northeast tiger, found only in the northeastern part of China, needed urgent attention. Over 30 soldiers helped (to) [2]carry the animals in crates for one mile from the zoo for a temporary landing spot for evacuation. Local transport then took them to another zoo for treatment.