The arrival of Zoo Berlin’s panda pair created a whole new task for their staff: providing a continuous supply of bamboo. Every day, each bear eats between ten and 30 kilos of the plant. But few people are aware of just how complex dealing with a bamboo diet can be. In Germany, bamboo is most commonly used as an ornamental plant or as material for fancy furniture – and perhaps you’ve eaten the occasional bamboo sprout at a Chinese restaurant. But there is so much more to bamboo than you might imagine. This remarkable plant is extremely strong yet very flexible; durable and fast-growing; sustainable and incredibly versatile. It may not look that special, but bamboo is a real all-rounder.