The giant panda's unusual diet may be the result of human pressure

Something to chew on THE GIANT PANDA is beloved of conservationists. It is the mascot of the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature, formerly the World Wildlife Fund) and, with its striking black-and-white pelage, is one of the most recognisable large animals in the world. It is also evolutionarily weird. It is a type of bear, and therefore a member of the order of mammals known, after their usual dietary habits, as the Carnivora. But it is an obligate herbivore. And it is rare. Optimistic estimates pu...