Butterstick Goes Wild

Posted 30 January 2010 by

Tai "Butterstick" Shan, the panda born at the National Zoo in Washington DC and displayed up above, is going back to China. CNN has a report on his farewell party.

14 Comments

Wayne Robinson · 31 January 2010

Even creationists love pandas (not that I'm one). I sponsor one panda and also donate monthly to their survival. If we can't keep a cute animal from going extinct, what chance have we got of stopping the not so cute but more important species dying out? Although a fully grown panda is not really a tame animal, and can easily kill a human, if it gets the idea into its brain.

Wheels · 31 January 2010

Wayne Robinson said: Even creationists love pandas (not that I'm one). I sponsor one panda and also donate monthly to their survival. If we can't keep a cute animal from going extinct, what chance have we got of stopping the not so cute but more important species dying out? Although a fully grown panda is not really a tame animal, and can easily kill a human, if it gets the idea into its brain.
It's days like these I'm glad we're not made out of delicious bamboo shoots.

Stanton · 31 January 2010

Wheels said:
Wayne Robinson said: Even creationists love pandas (not that I'm one). I sponsor one panda and also donate monthly to their survival. If we can't keep a cute animal from going extinct, what chance have we got of stopping the not so cute but more important species dying out? Although a fully grown panda is not really a tame animal, and can easily kill a human, if it gets the idea into its brain.
It's days like these I'm glad we're not made out of delicious bamboo shoots.
From what I've seen of pandas, especially from some zoo videos on Youtube, and from the fact that bamboo shoots do not make up the entirety of their diet, I get the impression that to pandas, not all delicious things are made out of bamboo shoots.

Stuart Weinstein · 31 January 2010

Will Prof. Steve-Steve claim parental rights over his bastard child?

stevaroni · 31 January 2010

Stanton said: From what I've seen of pandas... I get the impression that to pandas, not all delicious things are made out of bamboo shoots.
Hmmm... If any pandas are listening, I hear on the street that Creationist trolls are crunchy and taste good with mustard. Also I've heard they make fun of your mother's thumbs. Just sayin'

fnxtr · 31 January 2010

I'm just waiting for the late night promos for the "Pandas Gone Wild" videos.

Stanton · 31 January 2010

fnxtr said: I'm just waiting for the late night promos for the "Pandas Gone Wild" videos.
You remember the Simpsons episode of "Homer vs. Dignity," where Montgomery Burns donates the "female panda" named "Sim Sim" to the Springfield Zoo? You also remember when Sim Sim then "presents" to the violent, yet romantically minded resident panda?

harold · 1 February 2010

Stevaroni -

I tried to find some actual data on panda attacks on humans, but all I could come up with was this blood-curdling video -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubZimS4E3F0

fnxtr · 1 February 2010

harold said: Stevaroni - I tried to find some actual data on panda attacks on humans, but all I could come up with was this blood-curdling video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubZimS4E3F0
Note to self: when visiting panda cage, do not wear bamboo-scented cologne, or bamboo-fibre clothing.

stevaroni · 1 February 2010

harold said: ... all I could come up with was this blood-curdling video...
Stephen Colbert tried to warn us. But would we listen?

Stanton · 1 February 2010

fnxtr said: Note to self: when visiting panda cage, do not wear bamboo-scented cologne, or bamboo-fibre clothing.
Also, don't wear fish, rodent or honey derived products, either.

When Pandas Attack · 6 February 2010

I've been tracking Panda attacks on humans through news reports. I have yet to find an instance of a Panda killing a human, but they certainly do attack humans in a way that probably doesn't seem very cute while it's happening.

I suspect there a many less serious attacks at Panda preservation areas that are not reported. Feel free to alert me to any incidents I may have overlooked. You can see my blog at http://whenpandasattack.wordpress.com/

harold · 6 February 2010

When Pandas Attack -

Thanks for that link; I had tried to get some accurate information on panda attacks.

My conclusion is that pandas are big, strong, wild animals. They are ultimately bears.

Within the category of big, strong animals from omnivorous or carnivorous lineages, they stand out as relatively harmless. They do NOT seem to have ever shown any significant predatory hunting behaviors toward humans, nor any major league territorial hostility reactions, but they are still big, strong, wild bears, and should be treated with considerable respect and caution.

I would much rather be in a cage with an adult panda than with a male chimpanzee, brown bear, tiger, or breeding bull (or ram or stallion), but I would be cautious about the panda.

However, I was kidding when I called that video "blood-curdling", I actually thought it was pretty funny.

Watch Anime Online · 6 February 2010

Great article you have there