An endangered species of red panda has received a tasty gift of bamboo recycled during a garden clearance in Suffolk.

New-mother-of-two Mulan has been feasting on the left over foliage, harvested by Home from Home Property Management at its Duke Street development site in Ipswich.

Company employees Ian Boots and Stewart Scott drove the freshly cut crop to Drusillas Park in East Sussex to make the delivery while still at its tastiest.

Mulan, who has recently given birth to male and female babies as part of a European breeding programme, was said to be particularly pleased with the extra fodder.

Zoo manager Sue Woodgate said: “We are so grateful for the donation of the bamboo and the effort it has taken to get it to us all the way from Ipswich.

“The bamboo was really fresh, just how the animals - especially red pandas - like it.

“Drusillas zookeepers are always looking for fresh browse for our animals and big deliveries like this help us so much.

“It is really good for the animals to have fresh items such as bamboo, willow, fruit tree branches and poplar - it keeps them occupied and is nutritionally very valuable for them too.”

Home from Home Property Management had been remodelling the gardens on behalf of the Duke Street (Ipswich) Management Company.

When the company realised how much bamboo would be cut down, it contacted various zoos to see the plants put to good use.

Company director Edward Ottley said: “The reason for doing this is that we’re trying to create a community and be more than just a faceless management company that just mows the lawn, cleans the windows and leaves.

“We are always looking for creative ideas to give back to the community.

Mulan came to the zoo with her partner Tibao in April 2013 and were the only red pandas before the arrival of their cubs.

There are only 10,000 adult red pandas left in the wild, which are native to the Himalayan mountains