Real-Life Decision Making
Giant pandas are one of the world's most popular animals. That's why, as
an animal nutritionist, you're excited about the prospect of your zoo purchasing
two of these animals. Not many zoos get the privilege of housing these bizarre
and exotic bears.
One of the reasons only a few zoos actually have pandas as a part of their
exhibit is because of the sheer cost of feeding them. "Panda bears look like
carnivores, but they actually only eat bamboo," explains Michelle Shaw, an
animal nutritionist at a zoo.
The cost of feeding the animals this bamboo is prohibitive. "[This] isn't
bamboo growing country, so we'd have to ship the bamboo in from China," she
says. The estimated cost of feeding two panda bears for a year is $250,000!
Your zoo definitely can't afford that kind of cost. But as the resident
nutritionist, you could try to come up with an alternative to feed the panda
bears. "It's been tried before," says Shaw. "They don't seem to do well on
any other diet."
You know others have unsuccessfully tried different methods to feed pandas,
but you're certain you can come up with something, if you just work harder.
There must be a more affordable option than shipping in the bamboo. Perhaps
you could look for closer markets that grow bamboo, set up a greenhouse or
make a nutritious biscuit from other similar plant-like materials.
Attendance at the zoo would skyrocket with this new exhibit. It would be
wonderful for the zoo, for the public and for you.
What do you do?