Vienna, Austria – Giant pandas at Schönbrunn Zoo are enjoying the autumn weather, rolling around in piles of colourful leaves and tossing them into the air after their keepers created a new enrichment activity for the animals.

The zookeeping team provided the endangered pandas with a mixture of autumn leaves and sawdust to encourage exploration and play. Male panda immediately embraced the new activity, according to zookeeper Mag. Renate Haider.

The cooler temperatures also suit the animals, which are adapted to the climate of their natural habitat in China, where they live in bamboo forests at elevations of up to 2,000 metres.

“Whenever it gets cooler in autumn, our giant pandas feel really comfortable. They like spending time in their outdoor enclosures and eat considerable amounts of bamboo. Their appetite increases every year as winter approaches,” Haider said.

Giant pandas spend about half their day eating, carefully stripping leaves and breaking apart bamboo stalks. The rest of their time is largely dedicated to digestion and resting, with the zoo’s keepers regularly introducing activities to enrich their daily routines.

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