Almost everyone can agree that pandas are cute creatures. In fact, they are among the most beautiful animals in the world! Surprisingly, some people still hate giant pandas.
In this article, I’ll discuss 5 common reasons why people hate them so much.
Table of Contents
- 1. Pandas Are Expensive To Keep
- 2. They Have A Poor Breeding Rate
- 3. They Poop A Lot
- 4. Pandas Are Lazy Animals
- 5. Pandas Can Be Dumb
- Related Questions
- Final Thoughts
1. Pandas Are Expensive To Keep
Some people believe that the cost of taking care of pandas is more than the benefits they offer. In other words, the panda bears are overrated!
Giant pandas are not cheap, from the food they eat, the cost of renting them, and where they live. To rent a giant panda from China, American zoos pay up to $1 million per year.
And if these pandas have babies, these zoos have to pay an extra $600,000.
In terms of where they live, the giant pandas need about 44 square miles of free movement. This is a lot of space that requires thousands of dollars, regardless of the location.
DID YOU KNOW ?
On average, giant pandas eat about 40 pounds of bamboo every day.
In captivity, the zookeepers provide pellets and bamboo, which is costly. Interestingly enough, zoos can spend up to $500,000 on feeding and caring for pandas a year.
There’s no doubt that the cost of housing and feeding the giant pandas is way too high!
2. They Have A Poor Breeding Rate
Giant pandas have a low reproductive rate, which limits the number of babies they produce per year. In spring, the female pandas are on heat for between 12 and 25 days.
During this time, they are only willing to mate for between 2 and 7 days. And they can only get pregnant for 24 to 48 hours a year.
Once this time passes, a female panda may have to wait till the next spring before getting pregnant.
Zookeepers also observed that the male pandas don’t know how to mate properly. Being solitary creatures, the pandas rarely interact with one another except during the mating season.
Sometimes, the female pandas can get picky when it’s time to choose a partner. All these factors contribute to the low reproductive rate of giant pandas.
In the wild, a female panda may reproduce around 5 times throughout her lifetime.
In captivity, the zookeepers have to spend lots of money to help the pandas reproduce through “artificial insemination”. Sometimes the procedure is successful, and sometimes it is not.
So it’s not surprising that some people do not like pandas for this particular reason.
3. They Poop A Lot
Another reason why people don’t like pandas is that they defecate a lot. They can poop 15 to 20 times per minute. That’s about 40 times a day on average!
One surprising thing is that pandas don’t have the gut bacteria that process plant matter. If they eat about 30 pounds of bamboo in a day, they will only digest around 17% of it.
They consume about 20 to 40 pounds of bamboo every day. Funnily enough, the bamboo diet contains little nutrients. This is why the pandas have to feed on lots of it each day to gain enough strength.
In a case where a panda is very hungry, he can eat about 84 pounds of bamboo in just one day.
This means that the pandas pass out a large percentage of the food they eat daily as waste.
READ OUR FULL ARTICLE: 5 Questions About Panda’s Poop!
4. Pandas Are Lazy Animals
Among the list of lazy animals, pandas made the list. If they’re not munching on bamboo, then these large bears will be on the tree sleeping.
They also sleep for 2 to 4 hours between meals each day. On average, a panda can spend about 12 hours resting and sleeping every day.
In addition, the pandas hardly move about in their habitat. And even if they do, their movement is always slow or more of falling and standing.
Another area in which the panda bears are lazy is relating to one another.
Being solitary animals, the giant pandas do not play with one another. If a panda comes into contact with another, they’ll both growl and lunge at each other until one of them leaves.
But during the mating period or when there’s a lot of food somewhere, the pandas come together. And a mother panda rarely leaves her cubs unless they’re mature enough to take care of themselves.
As a result of their lazy lifestyle, some people view pandas as boring animals. And this is one of the reasons they don’t like them.
5. Pandas Can Be Dumb
Despite their cute faces and gentle personalities, some people believe pandas are dumb animals. To some extent, we can’t agree less due to these bears’ unusual behaviors.
In terms of diet, giant pandas can eat and digest meat. But instead, these large bears prefer to eat bamboo, which contains small amounts of nutrients. That’s not all!
Giant pandas are clumsy creatures. Usually, they do not move around a lot in their habitat. But when they do, these bears lose their balance and fall many times.
Another reason people believe the pandas are dumb is that these animals roll in horse poop. While researchers are sure that the bears do this to keep warm, some people still think it’s a disgusting habit.
Considering these behaviors, it is fair to say that giant pandas can be dumb in some ways.
Related Questions
What Do Some People Say About Pandas
People sometimes say negative things about giant pandas. Check out some of these statements below.
- “Pandas are lazy creatures since they eat and sleep all day.”
- “Pandas are grumpy animals as they prefer to be alone.”
- “Pandas are messy because they poop every 15 to 20 minutes.”
- “Giant pandas have poor mating skills.”
- “Pandas are clumsy animals because they fall easily when walking.”
Why Should We Love Pandas?
There are many reasons why we should love giant pandas. Even though these bears are strange in some ways, they are also unique.
Here are some of the reasons why we should love pandas.
- Pandas are cute creatures.
- The pandas can make you laugh with the way they walk and fall.
- Even though the pandas hardly interact with one another, they are peaceful animals.
- Pandas play an important role in the ecosystem where they live.
- Giant pandas are cultural symbols in China.
Final Thoughts
Even though giant pandas are cute, cuddly, and peaceful animals, not everyone likes them. Some of the reasons why people don’t like pandas are that they have a poor breeding rate.
In addition, pandas poop a lot, lead a solitary lifestyle, and they’re not good pets. Nevertheless, panda bears play an important role in the ecosystem and are also funny creatures.
Instead of focusing on the negative aspects of these giant pandas, consider the benefits they provide to humanity. In the long run, you’ll learn to appreciate their existence.
Did you know that giant pandas play a great role in their environment? Check out some of the roles in this article – Why Are Giant Pandas Important?
