Although pandas are well known for mainly feasting on bamboo there have been instances where the black and white bears have been witnessed and even caught on camera eating meat. While this is very rare, as a panda’s stomach has evolved to digest the complex cellulose found in bamboo stalks, if hungry enough these bears will eat meat. However, it is very unlikely that they will stalk and kill the meat themselves. They might stumble upon a dead animal in the wild and eat it if they are hungry.

There have been a few rare occurrences where pandas have killed and eaten other animals such as peacocks. This happened in a zoo in China. There was even a case where a picture of a panda eating an antelope went viral on the internet, shocking many who saw it. The picture was captured with an infrared camera. There have been other rare cases of pandas making headlines for eating meat.

Typically 99% of a panda’s diet consists of bamboo, however these bears technically belong to the species group Carnivora or carnivores. Interestingly enough, pandas have to eat large quantities of the hollow plant to gain enough energy and nutrition to survive. Panda behavior has evolved to cope with their weak bamboo diet, which is why the bears often appear to be slow. They often avoid social interaction and energetic exploits in order to preserve strength.