The "plush" appearance and bamboo diet is how most people who know this animal from charming photos and mercilessly exploited stylized images imagine the panda. However, do not forget that this is primarily a bear, and even keeping in captivity does not kill the habits of a predator in it.
Are pandas dangerous to humans? This, for sure, is of interest to tourists traveling to China, zoo visitors and just curious people. To answer this question, it is important to know that pandas also come in different colors: black and white and red.
Cat bear
This is the name of the small (red) panda - a predator the size of a cat with bright red fur and a surprisingly long fluffy tail.
The cat bear is the only representative of the panda family. This animal lives in South Asia. During the day, he sleeps in a shelter, curled up in a ball and covered with a fluffy tail, and at dusk he goes in search of young bamboo shoots, and when there is a shortage of basic food, he eats bird eggs and smallrodents.
The red panda is an extremely peaceful animal that never attacks a person, and in case of danger it deftly climbs the trunk and hides in the crowns of trees.
Despite the fact that the species is on the verge of extinction, the cat bear is kept in 85 zoos around the world and breeds well in captivity, unlike its large namesake.
Bamboo bear
This is just a plush animal familiar to everyone - a big panda or, as it used to be called a spotted bear.
This animal has nothing to do with the panda family and the small panda, but is a representative of the bear family. Its closest relative is the South American spectacled bear, which also prefers plant foods.
However, it is wrong to assume that the giant panda eats only bamboo. The stomach of a predator digests both coarse plant chips and birds, small animals and carrion.
To find out if a panda is dangerous to humans, it doesn't hurt to ask about the lifestyle of this animal.
Where the bamboo bear lives
The giant panda species forms 2 subspecies that differ in color, size and habitat:
- If you want to meet a black and white giant panda, go to the Chinese province of Sichuan. These bears live here, almost up to 2 m long and weighing about 160 kg.
- Representatives of the second subspecies live in the mountains of the Chinese province of Shaanxi. These are smaller pandas and they are not black and white, but brown and gray.
Most of the time these bearsengaged in eating bamboo, because an adult animal needs up to 30 kg of feed per day. In lean years, for example, in 1975 and 1983, many pandas died of starvation. Because despite being relatively omnivorous, these animals are very dependent on bamboo.
Random encounters between a panda and a human, for the most part, end happily. The instinct of self-preservation makes animals hide in bamboo thickets in case of danger. However, do not forget that the giant panda is primarily a predator that can fight back no worse than its bear relatives.
Giant Panda Weapon
The idealized appearance of a teddy bear creates a deceptive impression that kindness itself is in front of you. However, the powerful jaws of the giant panda hide strong teeth that can chew on more than just bamboo. And her sharp claws can cause serious injury to the offender.
Is a panda dangerous for a person if you meet an animal in nature? Like any predator, an animal can attack when sick or hungry. And of course, the bear will stand up for himself if he is driven into a corner. Only the inhabitants of China would hardly think of purposefully chasing the giant panda. Firstly, this species is listed in the international Red Book. And secondly, the one who killed the panda faces the death pen alty.
However, bamboo bear injuries have been documented, and sadly, most of them are related to animals kept in captivity.
Beware the panda
Employeeszoos and science centers know how to handle pandas. And the main reason for the attack of a bamboo bear on people is human stupidity. So from 2006 to 2009 there were 3 unpleasant incidents at the Beijing Zoo.
For example, on September 19, 2006, a drunken tourist, 28 years old, climbed into the enclosure of a giant panda to stroke the beast and show off in front of his companion. The result of the meeting between the panda and the man was a laceration on the lower leg, for the treatment of which it was necessary to carry out skin transplantation from the back.
The other case looks even more stupid. The child threw his toy into the panda's enclosure, and the father did not think of anything better than to jump over the fence and take his property. As a result, the zoo staff had to unclench the jaws of the animal, and the man took a long time to heal the damaged ligaments on his leg.
Therefore, the question of whether pandas are dangerous to humans can be answered with confidence that animals can harm people only if they are deliberately provoked.
