Why do pandas look dirty? Many people go to the zoo to see cute pandas. But some tourists have found that the pandas in the zoo are not particularly white, but dirty. Why? Is it because the keeper doesn't give them a bath?
We interviewed a researcher from the Sichuan Panda Base, who told us that pandas prefer to climb trees and roll in outdoor activity areas. Their fur will naturally be stained with dust and soil, and they do not have the habit of taking baths and cannot be forced into the pool. Adult giant pandas are relatively large in size, and having only one caretaker while taking a shower is not enough. If there are too many people, they will become extremely nervous, and the unfamiliar atmosphere may even cause them to develop an aggressive mentality.
In many TikTok short videos of pandas, it can be seen that pandas have their own dedicated bathing pools, which are also considered as a venue for their free bathing. But their bathing does not involve regular or self initiated full body cleansing. There are oil secretion glands on the buttocks of giant pandas, which are more prone to getting dirty and not easy to clean, so sometimes it looks dirty.
In addition to cleaning them themselves, the keepers help wash them once a month in winter and once a week in summer. When necessary, shampoo will be used to clean the fur, but washing once a week is the limit. Showering them manually is not a good thing. The fur of giant pandas can help them resist more parasites and bacteria. If bathing too frequently, it is more likely to get sick.
Giant panda cubs are not allowed to take showers because they are relatively small. It's all panda mothers who use saliva to help them lick their bodies, and the saliva of giant pandas secretes a special ingredient that can maintain the body temperature of panda cubs, clean capillaries, kill bacteria, and ensure that they don't get sick, etc. That's why everyone in the video sees giant panda mothers constantly licking panda babies.
Panda cubs will live with panda mothers when they reach the age of one. When giant panda mothers feel that their babies are too dirty to bear, they also help them clean their bodies.
During the 2023 World University Games in Chengdu, the famous "female star" of the panda, Huahua Panda, was suddenly washed clean by the breeder Grandpa Tan and became popular on the Internet Webo. It can be seen that the beautiful Huahua panda did not look too white before taking a shower?