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Help Sussex's Red Pandas — Bamboo Appeal

Here's Maja! One of Drusillas healthily hungry red pandas (Photo supplied by Drusillas)

This is Maja, one of Sussex's red pandas, one of the creatures that make visitors' hearts melt at Drusillas near Alfriston — watch his video at the foot of this page!

But do you know how hungry they can become?

Keeping the red pandas satisfied with enough roots and shoots is an ongoing battle for the much-loved zoo in Alfriston.

The duo's appetite for bamboo, according to staff, is "insatiable", with each individual reportedly consuming up to 2kg a day — that can be up to 20,000 leaves.

Now, Drusillas Park is appealing for donations of bamboo after the red pandas have chomped their way through a little more than anticipated recently.

Mulan and Maja's appetite is described as "very healthy" but now it's time for hardworking keepers to get busy, searching for more food.

Head Zookeeper, Sophie Leadbitter commented:

"Our own plantation has been struggling to keep up with the pandas' enormous appetite.

"If any green fingered individuals out there have some fresh bamboo they can spare for our red pandas, we would be so grateful!"

According to experts at Drusillas, any bamboo is good, as long as it is from tall, fresh and healthy plants.

Black bamboo is a particular red panda favourite, and both Mulan and Maja enjoy small, leafy stems.

Park staff said it is really important the bamboo is cut freshly on the day it arrives at the park, so zookeepers can get it straight into storage and keep it fresh for their pandas.

Drusillas can collect within a 15-mile radius of the Park.

If you are a little further away and are able to deliver, zookeepers would be very grateful.

Sophie Leadbitter added:

"We grow our own in our grounds to supply the required bamboo but our gardening team have now had to ask us to stop 'raiding' their bamboo as there is very little left.

"We are therefore appealing to the public to help."

If you would like to help Mulan and Maja, you can email keepers@drusillas.co.uk or call them on 01323 874100.

Located just off the A27 in Alfriston, Drusillas Park is open daily from 10am, with information on https://www.drusillas.co.uk

Video: by Drusillas.

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