The bold, contrasting colours of the giant panda’s fur have long been admired the world over and signify various things for different people such as tolerance, respect, and the importance of balance between different aspects in life. A popular Chinese legend gives one explanation for the giant panda’s unusual colouration…
A long time ago, giant pandas were completely white. One day, a mother panda and her baby were playing with a shepherdess while she was guarding her flock. Suddenly a leopard appeared and attacked the baby. The shepherdess saved the baby, but lost her life in the process. Moved by her incredible courage, the pandas followed the local funeral rites and covered their hands with ash as a sign of mourning. During the funeral, they rubbed their eyes to wipe away their tears, and covered their ears because the crying was so loud. Overcome with grief they also hugged each other, and the legend states that these patches of ash have remained on their fur ever since…
English
French