You’ve probably seen many videos of cute pandas eating bamboo or playing. Pandas are innate to south-central China and are regularly described as cute and lazy. However, one must not forget that they are still bears.
Even though they look not hurtful, pandas can be very dangerous to humans. They have powerful claws and jaws and are significantly stronger than most humans. While pandas rarely attack humans, when incidents do occur, they are usually serious.
However, if you leave wild pandas alone and keep enough distance, they pose no danger.
Are pandas dangerous to humans?
Pandas are adorable animals. They are known for their cuddly looks. You just want to cuddle them, right? They look completely harmless because you often see them just lying around lazily and chewing bamboo. But giant pandas can be dangerous to humans.
You should treat giant pandas with the same care as any other bear species. They are wild animals with basic instincts. While panda attacks on humans are rare, they do occur, and surprisingly from captive pandas rather than wild pandas.
Wild pandas live in such remote areas that they rarely come into casual contact with humans in their natural habitat. They have extremely sharp teeth and strong jaws to nibble on tough bamboo stalks. This gives them a powerful bite, which is extremely dangerous for humans.
In fact, the bite force of a giant panda bear is only slightly less dangerous than that of a grizzly bear or tiger. Also, by grasping at bamboo, they have very sharp claws, making them even more dangerous if they come in contact with humans.
The good news is that pandas are only dangerous when they feel threatened, when you tease them, or when they think you mean harm to their babies.
Are pandas more aggressive or good-natured?
In general, pandas are considered to be laid-back. They are calm animals that choose to avoid confrontation. Nonetheless, they will fight back if they feel threatened and cannot escape. When a giant panda attacks a human, it is more out of anger or threat than out of aggression.
Similar to other wild animals, mothers who have their babies with them are always a bit more aggressive toward potential dangers. Male pandas can also be aggressive towards each other when competing for females or attempting to assert dominance.
Whether it’s a panda in the wild or a giant panda in captivity, they are all equally dangerous. They are one of the strongest land animals in the world. But you are quite safe from them if you treat them with respect.