A Canadian zoo has returned two giant pandas to China,as it cannot obtain enough bamboo to feed them, owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Calgary Zoo says the pandas have safely arrived in China. The female panda is named "Er Shun," and the male is called "Da Mao."

The zoo was relying on imports of bamboo from China. But it says the pandemic has made it difficult to import fresh bamboo.

The two pandas left Canada last Friday. They ate about 200 kilograms of bamboo and apples during the flight. They arrived in China via Germany on Sunday.

In 2013, the pandas were sent from China to Canada under a 10-year agreement between the two nations. The pandemic prompted the zoo to return them three years earlier than scheduled.

NHK