Tian Tian eats mostly bamboo, but he’d take a chunk out of you if he got a chance! (Photo by Daniel Reidel)
See that panda? He looks nice and cuddly, with his thick coat of duotone fur, and that vacant expression on his face. Some people are so taken by the black-and-white ursines, that when they see them either in photographs or live at the zoo, they begin fantasizing about giving the pandas a hug.
The thing is, that’s a really bad idea. Giant pandas like, say, the National Zoo’s Tian Tian, might be useless at reproducing, but they are still very dangerous bears. Even though pandas prefer a diet that is 99 percent bamboo, they are not actually natural herbivores.
And that’s what Former French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing once discovered when he climbed in a panda cage, he recalled in a speech this week. BBC News reports that d’Estaing, who was in office from 1974 to 1981, told an audience that on a visit to the Vincennes Zoo in Paris, where his daughter was working, he saw the panda exhibit as a chance to test his “presidential courage.”
Just what did d’Estaing think would happen? Per the BBC, the panda had the better of the French leader in no time:
A panda leapt on him and staff had to free him from its claws, Mr Giscard d’Estaing, 87, told a conference.
An expert at Edinburgh Zoo told the BBC the ex-leader had had a lucky escape.
“Although they are vegetarian bears, obviously at the end of the day pandas are still very powerful and muscular bears with teeth and claws to match,” Iain Valentine, director of giant pandas at the zoo, told the BBC News website.
Zut freaking alors! Turns out that tall, skinny, French politicians shouldn’t attempt to get in the cage with pandas, and neither should you.
The panda that nearly mauled d’Estaing arrived in Paris in 1973 as a gift from China to his predecessor, Georges Pompidou, during the era of “panda diplomacy” that also saw the first pair of specimens arrive at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington. However, there are no recorded instances of U.S. presidents attempting to get in the panda house.
UPDATE: A National Zoo spokeswoman tells DCist that giant pandas, adorable as they might be, are not to be trifled with. Even the zoo’s staff of expert veterinarians take strong precautions before treating the bears.
“The Smithsonian’s National Zoo follows the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ protected contact policy, which means there is always a protective barrier between our animal care staff and our giant pandas, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian,” Jennifer Zoon writes. “Giant pandas are members of the bear family, and it’s important to remember they’re wild animals and will defend their territory instinctually.”
Also, here’s video (in French) of d’Estaing talking about his panda encounter:
