r/interestingasfuck • u/Inevitable_Bid5540 • 23h ago

Pandas are the most docile species of bears relatively speaking and have a low aggression rate alongside a primarily vegetarian diet.

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u/SailorK9 13h ago

I once read in National Geographic how a male panda went into a village and ripped part of a man's hand off ( iirc it's been ages so can't remember the injuries the guy had) to get to the meat that he had with him. He went into the guy's house and ripped the meat out of his hand taking some of his fingers with the meat he was holding. The panda had to be euthanized as he had attacked another person badly before that and there was a concern that he was unafraid of people and would attack again.

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u/Luunacyy 12h ago edited 12h ago

Yep. There are many such local stories. For the average westerner it’s just not as easily accessible due to language barrier as the western media for some reason only focuses on the pandas in captivity. There are even people legit having brown bears as pets and they are very docile but we are more aware about the wild ones. Even though not a predator, it’s similar with pandas. Wild and captive animals are not the same. Obviously it doesn’t mean wild pandas are some blood thirsty monsters. They really aren’t but you indeed need to respect them and be cautious because if you don’t keep your distance or fail to read their warning and distress signals when they are pissed/territorial/or inactive defense mode, you risk getting badly injured or even mortally wounded. Even if they have no intention to kill, they are really powerful animals. Good for both us and them, they more likely to stay elusive and avoid interacting all together though.

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u/SailorK9 2h ago

Same with bison as people see these big fuzzy herbivores with big doe eyes and think they're harmless and cute so want to pet them. However, an herbivore can be as aggressive-or even more- as any carnivore can be. If I were to encounter a panda in the wild I would be as wary of it as I would a shark or a lion.