APPARENT DIGESTIBILITY OFDIETDOMINANTLY COMPRISED OF PHYLLOSTACHYS VIVAXBAMBOO SHOOTSFOR CAPTIVE GIANT PANDAS

This study, usingthe method ofdirect collectionfeces,investigatedcaptive giant pandasdaily intakes andapparent digestibility coefficients ofdietdominantly comprised ofPhyllostachysvivaxbamboo shoots.Theresults showed that thecaptive giant pandasdaily ingested ~2818 g (dry mass) of bamboo shoots(corresponding to~42 kg of fresh bamboo shoots with shells). Based on this daily intake ofbamboo shoots, we further analyzedthe daily intakesofdietary components,includingenergy, crude protein, lipids, hemicelluloses, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent fiber (ADF). The results demonstrate that: i)the trialsbamboo shootdiet providesgiant pandas with sufficient and readily digestible, energy and crude protein; ii) the lipid (in low content) was efficiently utilized by giant pandas; and iii) the digestibility of fiber was very low in giant pandas.