Raymond WhitneyWho doesn’t want to befriend a panda? To many people, they are the cutest and most adorable animals on the planet. Would they, however, make nice pets? Let’s have a look.
Let’s start with a quick response.
Is it possible to keep a panda as a pet?
Pandas are an endangered species, therefore no. There are approximately 2,000 pandas left on the planet.
Even if you were permitted to purchase a Panda, you would need to cultivate a large field of bamboo, as Pandas consume over 50 pounds (23 kilograms) of bamboo every day.
Let’s delve a little deeper into the Panda to see why, even if they were available for purchase, they wouldn’t make suitable pets.
Start by forgetting all you think you know about Pandas!
A lot of people have misconceptions regarding panda bears.
People mistakenly believe they are cuddly bears. This could not be further from the truth, as we will show in the following paragraphs. There’s something about them that makes them look like a teddy bear rather than a deadly bears.
So it’s understandable if your first instinct is to jump in and start embracing the poor thing.
They don’t sneeze all the time, by the way.
Pandas prefer to be left alone and munch bamboo for approximately (at least!) 10- 15 hours every day. They are not social animals and do not appreciate being touched or patted on the back.
So why can’t I own a Panda bear as a pet?
The main reason for this is that they are a threatened species. The People’s Republic of China owns all Giant Pandas, including those in zoos.
But, for the time being, let’s overlook that reality and focus on how you might go about maintaining a Panda as a pet.
Pandas appear to be quite attractive and cuddly, yet they are not particularly friendly.
Getting too close to pandas in a zoo or in nature has resulted in pandas attacking people in multiple instances. They have razor-sharp claws and an extremely powerful bite.
How much does a Panda cost?
As previously stated, China owns all pandas on the planet. That means the Chinese government must rent it to each Zoo.
They will normally do so for ten years at a cost of over one million dollars (!). And since that figure is each year, the Zoo’s 10-year contract will cost roughly $10 million.
This is one of the key reasons why, despite being one of the most popular animals on the planet, pandas are not found in every zoo.
And we haven’t even begun to discuss the ongoing costs of owning a Panda. Let you know that they will eat bamboo predominantly. Each year, the Edinburgh Zoo spends roughly $88,000 on bamboo to keep the pandas happy.
So there’s even another reason why you shouldn’t have a panda as a pet.
Even if you could persuade the Chinese government that you are a wonderful match, you couldn’t afford to keep it for more than a few weeks! Even if it was given to you free of charge.
How about the Red Pandas, can they be kept as pets?
You could be wondering if you can get a Red Panda as a pet if you’re still fantasizing about pandas.
The red panda resembles the large black-and-white Pandas. They’re much smaller and look more like raccoons. You can’t keep a rent shack, either. The Washington Convention prohibits them from being kept as pets.
They’re also on the endangered species list.
There are approximately 5000 red pandas left in the world, according to estimates. Approximately 80 of them are kept in zoos. So that’s definitely the greatest location to go if you want to see the Red Panda up close.
How about other countries like India, the U.K, Canada, etc?
No. You won’t be able to keep a Panda as a pet anywhere. Or, for that matter, get your hands on one.
As previously stated, the Chinese government owns all Pandas and does not allow anyone to buy or sell Pandas. Anywhere.
Jackie Chan has two Panda bears
If you are wealthy and renowned, it appears that you can have a Panda bear as a pet.
AND if the Chengdu Research Center believes you will be an effective advocate for pandas as a species.
In 2009, Jackie Chan adopted two massive Panda bears. He paid roughly $150,000 for them, and the Chengdu Tourism Council named him Chengdu Panda Ambassador!
Pandas are huge (and potentially dangerous)!
The last reason you can’t keep a panda as a pet is that they’re too big!
Many people believe pandas are cute tiny animals that can be hugged and carried about like dogs.
They’re not.
There’s a reason they’re called Giant Pandas: they’re enormous.
To the shoulder, they are around 5 feet long (150 cm) and 3 feet tall (90 cm). Males can weigh as much as 350 pounds (160 kilograms). As you might expect, you couldn’t carry it and surely couldn’t walk it on a leash (like a dog).
Pandas are members of the bear family, so they will act more like a brown bear than domestic dogs. There aren’t many reports of pandas attacking humans, which is likely due to the fact that there aren’t many pandas remaining on the planet.
How strong is a panda?
Oh, my goodness, it’s powerful!
Keep in mind that we’re talking about a 350-pound (160-kg) bear. They have to bite quite hard in order to smash the bamboo sticks with their bare teeth. They eat bamboo for most of their waking hours.
A fully grown panda has a force of over 600 pounds. That’s twice as powerful as the Pitbull.
The Panda’s jawbone can be seen here. It has a lot of strength and a lot of joints:
As a result, you should avoid confronting the panda. Especially not while it is eating, because he despises being stopped during his meal!
In fact, the mother of a Panda frequently gives birth to two panda twins. One in every two pregnancies ends in this way.
And when that happens, the mother will examine the two newborn pandas carefully and choose the strongest of the two.
Because the mother will only feed the strongest offspring, the weakest infant will starve to death.
That may sound harsh, but it is the way things are in nature. Because the mother is unable to feed the baby pandas, she will favor the strongest.
7 interesting facts about Pandas
1) The Pandas have 6 fingers
They have five fingers and a little thumb. This gives you a total of six fingers. They’re made for grabbing bamboo, which is what its huge paws are best at.
They can also climb trees with the help of these specifically constructed claws.
This unique characteristic can only be found on the front paws. Five paws make up the back paws.
2) Pandas are fast
Pandas may travel at speeds of up to 20 mph (30 km/h). That’s a lot faster than people can do.
Pandas in captivity are unable to run as quickly as wild Pandas since they live a more relaxed lifestyle and are not required to. After all, they are never hunted or pursued, and they are provided meals every day.
3) Newborn Panda cubs are tiny!
When a mother Panda gives birth to a Panda cub, the cub is quite small.
It is pink all over its body and is unable to see. It could be as light as 0.2 pounds! (100 grams). Only one-twentieth of all human babies fall into this category. As a result, they still have a long way to go before reaching full size like their mother.
The newborn cub is just 6 inches (15 centimeters) long when it is born, according to National Geographic. That’s about the same size as a pencil.
4) Pandas eat all day long
Every day, pandas consume about 50 pounds (23 kilograms) of bamboo. It spends most of its waking hours chewing and digesting this massive amount of bamboo.
They may eat for up to 18 hours a day (the average is 12 hours)! So it doesn’t have much time left to do anything but munch its way through the bamboo pile!
They will eventually consume other foods, such as vegetables and meat. However, bamboo makes up 99 percent of the meal. As a result, it’s not a particularly difficult diet to follow.
5) Panda bears do not hibernate during the winter
During the winter, many bears hibernate or spend the majority of their time sleeping. They do so to conserve energy, and their body temperature will drop to match the temperature of their environment.
The Pandas, however, are an exception.
Pandas frequently migrate south instead. They do this to go to warmer temperatures.
6) We only recently found out that Pandas are bears
Until 1995, we thought of Pandas as a sort of raccoon, similar to the Red Panda, which resembles the Giant Panda.
Scientists discovered proof that the Panda is a bear after examining and decoding its genes.
7) The Panda can make (at least) 11 different sounds
We have no idea what these 11 different calls mean, but scientists have identified them.
They have the ability to growl, bark, puff, and squeak like other bears. The Panda babies will usually make adorable squeaking noises.
What can I do to help save the pandas?
You can help the WWF by making a donation. They’ve been assisting Pandas for more than 50 years and are working tirelessly to improve the lives of these two gentlemen.
They accomplish this by establishing environments in which pandas can thrive and consume bamboo. A panda adoption package, which includes a cute tiny panda teddy bear and a couple of images, may be purchased.
There were only about 1,000 wild Pandas left in the world in 1976, thus the number has nearly doubled since then.
There are also an increasing number of Pandas in zoos, and we have improved our ability to provide excellent circumstances for the bears to thrive in captivity over time.
