Photo: From China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda

The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda released a statement on Tuesday to refute an online rumor claiming that the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington is "conducting an experiment to change the giant pandas' diet by using corn stalks as a substitute for bamboo." The center stated that while ensuring pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao have an adequate bamboo supply and maintain their normal intake, the zoo has introduced corn stalks as dietary enrichment —not as a replacement.  

Typically, fresh corn stalks are provided to the two pandas during July and August, said the center. 

Corn is a grass plant, belonging to the same family as bamboo and reeds, which pandas forage in the wild. Its stalks are rich in crude fiber and can serve as an enrichment food for captive pandas, enhancing their sense of novelty and curiosity toward their environment, said the center.

Corn stalks are similar to other foods we use to diversify the pandas' diet, such as sugarcane, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins, according to the center.