There are those who say that pandas remind us of ourselves. Consider the way they sit when they eat. The females are far more mannerly than the males (just like homo sapiens?). As a panda chomps on a stick of bamboo using a thumb-like bone to grasp the bamboo, it looks remarkably human. It is said that the human brain is programmed to respond to this creature that has big eyes (accentuated by black markings), a high forehead, a big round head, and a body that is chubby and roly poly, just like a human baby. The panda brings out our protective, nurturing instincts. “What fools these mortals be” (Shakespeare, Midsummer Nights Dream) — the panda has no interest in us whatsoever.
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