A special menu for giant pandas: Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna renews collaboration with ANDRITZ
The two giant pandas at the famous Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna receive special food, which is custom-made to best meet their needs, in addition to bamboo.
In collaboration with the zoo, technology group ANDRITZ is preparing raw bamboo for their special menu. Having begun in 2019, this collaboration has now been renewed.
ANDRITZ machines process many different types of fibers in pulp and paper mills all over the world. In 2019, Schönbrunn Zoo reached out to ANDRITZ with an unusual request: prepare raw bamboo for the “bamboo bread” that forms an important part of the pandas’ food, adding essential nutrients and energy. ANDRITZ was happy to accept this challenge. Eveline Dungl, curator and animal trainer at the zoo, says: “The way ANDRITZ dealt with our unusual request was exceptionally kind and professional.”
“The zoo pre-shreds the bamboo and we grind the material in special equipment, so-called dispersers, at our Fiber R&D Center in Graz,” explains Denis Jozic, Technology Manager at ANDRITZ. “We have ground several batches of bamboo to the zoo’s full satisfaction – the giant pandas like their menu.” In fact, they like it so much that cooperation has continued, and the zoo has placed orders for specially prepared bamboo reaching well into the future.
“The zoo pre-shreds the bamboo and we grind the material in special equipment, so-called dispersers, at our Fiber R&D Center in Graz,” explains Denis Jozic, Technology Manager at ANDRITZ. “We have ground several batches of bamboo to the zoo’s full satisfaction – the giant pandas like their menu.” In fact, they like it so much that cooperation has continued, and the zoo has placed orders for specially prepared bamboo reaching well into the future.
“It always puts a smile on our faces at the Fiber R&D Center when we see the van from the zoo delivering the raw bamboo,” says Center Director Laura Liukkonen. “We generally receive a delivery of 500 kilos of bamboo, which we then manually feed into our conveyor. Everybody at the center lends a hand as we feed the bamboo through the disperser twice. We can certainly take on any task when it comes to refining raw materials, especially for such important customers as the giant pandas!”
Schönbrunn Zoo is not only famous for being the world’s oldest zoo but also for being one of the few zoos worldwide with giant pandas. This year, the zoo is celebrating 20 years of cooperation with the China Wildlife Conservation Association. Yang Yang, the female giant panda, has lived at the zoo since 2003 and during that time gave birth to five babies. Yuan Yuan, the male, arrived in Vienna in 2019.
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ANDRITZ GROUP
International technology group ANDRITZ offers a broad portfolio of innovative plants, equipment, systems, services and digital solutions for a wide range of industries and end markets. Sustainability is an integral part of the company’s business strategy and corporate culture. With its extensive portfolio of sustainable products and solutions, ANDRITZ aims to make the greatest possible contribution to a sustainable future and help its customers achieve their sustainability goals. ANDRITZ is a global market leader in all four of its business areas – Pulp & Paper, Metals, Hydro and Separation. Technological leadership and global presence are cornerstones of the group’s strategy, which is focused on long-term profitable growth. The publicly listed group has around 29,900 employees and over 280 locations in more than 40 countries.
ANDRITZ PULP & PAPER
ANDRITZ Pulp & Paper provides sustainable technology, automation, and service solutions for the production of all types of pulp, paper, board and tissue. The technologies and services focus on increased production efficiency, lower overall operating costs as well as innovative decarbonization strategies and autonomous plant operation.
The product portfolio also includes boilers for power generation, flue gas cleaning systems, various nonwoven technologies, and panelboard (MDF) production systems. With waste-to-value recycling, shredding and energy solutions, waste and by-product streams from production are converted into valuable secondary raw materials as well as into sustainable resources for energy generation. State-of-the-art IIoT technologies as part of Metris digitalization solutions complete the comprehensive product offering.
Bamboo transport: from Schönbrunn Zoo to the ANDRITZ Fiber R&D Center in Graz and back to the giant pandas.
Laura Liukkonen, Global Director of Fiber R&D Centers at ANDRITZ, refining bamboo with ANDRITZ dispersing technology.
Perfect taste! Happy giant pandas at the Schönbrunn Zoo.
ANDRITZ’s Fiber R&D Center in Graz, Austria is used for customer trials and internal development – and to prepare panda food.