they’re in the order Carnivora.
they’ve recently been re-classified into the Ursidae family along with other bears.
Wikipedia — Giant panda - Wikipedia —
Because I enjoy the taste of meat a great deal; I think eating moderate amounts of meat (along with lots of fruits and vegetables) is the tastiest way to have a healthy diet; and because I value this enjoyment more than I value the lives of the animals. As long as the animals aren’t treated cruelly before slaughter (and I know in some cases this isn’t true), I have no moral problem with raising animals for meat.
I have raised, killed and butchered my own lambs that I personally raised. I love my sheep, I really do. They are great mothers, they are generally peaceful and not as stupid as they seem. I enjoy just watching them be sheep. I have no doubt that they have feelings and probably don’t want to be eaten.
However, they would not exist if humans did not make use of them. They may have intelligence but they couldn’t survive without people. It’s part of their evolution to be used by humans. My responsibility is that they are well cared for, have minimal fear in their life and have a quick and humane death.
I try to use cage-free and have been moving more towards grass fed beef but I admit that cost comes in to play when I make those decisions. I don’t like factory farming but I don’t know how so many people could be fed so cheaply and well without it. I think we should continuing to move towards more humane options without becoming idiots about it.
I grew up animal crazy- mostly dog and horse crazy but I definitely loved being around animals. I am glad that never developed into animal rights, however, because I think animals are a part of our lives for good and ill. We have the ability to do better than the cheetah when it comes to humane death. We don’t always choose the best way but I feel slaughter (in this country) is more often humane than inhumane
Then there are all these domestic species- dogs, cats, horses, oxen, mules, etc that influenced our paths as we have influenced their development. I ride my horse in a leather saddle and I put a bit in her mouth. I also feed her horse cookies, keep her hoofs trimmed, feed her two squares a day without fail and pay the vet when she has a sniffle and keep her as happy as a mare can be. It’s a mutual beneficial relationship. She would not exist if there had not been thousands of years of human/horse relationships. That relationship isn’t always perfect but both species have been successful because of it.
So are raccoons, skunks and civets, which are omnivorous, like bears (except for the herbivorous palm civet).
Sorry about the hijack, but more authoritative sources than Wikipedia are the IUCN: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/summary/712/0 or ITIS: http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=621845.
As noted by Acsenray and others, the panda is now conclusively included in the family Ursidae (bears). There was a time when some authors felt that the species was closer related to raccoons, but genetic analysis has clearly shown that it is a bear.
How about polar bears? Are they still minks?
Polar bears are extremely closely related to Grizzly bears, such that they probably only split and evolved separately in the last 150,000 years or so.
thanks, guess I’m not up to date on my panda species classification.
Yeah well, but since anyway we’re enslaving those poor, poor cows may as well go for full efficiency. I can buy the moral arguments for vegan; for ovolactovegetarian nope.
Leather is a versatile, durable, and useful material. Since I eat animals, why wouldn’t I also use leather products?
Since I eat game meat, too, no, some of what I eat is not raised on farms.
As noted, most of those animals would not exist were it not for their use by humans.
I advocate humane slaughter, that is, as quick and painless and non-stressful as we can make it. That’s considerably more merciful than most wil predators.
Also, since I have severe allergies to several types of plants, among them legumes like lentils and peas, I have fewer options for a healthy, well-rounded vegetarian diet than most. It would be extremely difficult for me to subsist on a purely vegetarian diet, and as a vegan even more so.
So, in my particular case, there’s also a medical reason.
Animals don’t have rights.
actually, the conditions under which animals are slaughtered are excellent. It’s very important to keep the animals calm and relaxed or the meat is no good, so US slaughterhouses have come up with a lot of methods to ensure they are not frightened or struggling and die as quickly and pain-free as possible. Many scientists have actually studied methods of killing various types of animals in order to figure out the least painful ones for each type of animal.
Perhaps you are confusing factory farms with slaughters? the conditions under which animals are raised in factory farms are horrendous, but there is no reason why you have to eat factory-farm meat. There are plenty of options-buy free range, raise your own, go hunting.
I’m an ovo-lacto-pesco-carno-vegetarian.
So, no bugs? Good man.
Brussels sprouts don’t count. They’re not food.
Bugs are animals. And I have eaten crickets. 
Brussels sprouts are absolutely food. They’re delicious. They’re like cabbages, only Fun Size.
yeah, that’s a big part of it. I actually buy relatively little meat, partly for that reason. The entire factory farm/feedlot thing is bad. bad for the animals, bad for us, bad for the environment. and yes, it’s more expensive to avoid it but worth it. When I buy eggs I buy ones supposedly from pastured hens. they’re 3x the cost of generic supermarket eggs, but since the difference is $6/doz vs. $2.50/doz I think it’s worth it.
but to get to the root of the OP’s question, I’m not veg because I choose not to be. when I do buy meat I try to get it from sources which aren’t factory feedlots.
Another big thing is that I hunt. I’ve personally dressed and butchered deer. I know what has to happen in order for me to eat meat, and I’m willing to do the “dirty work” myself. and I respect and honor the fact that something had to die in order for me to eat. I don’t do those crass trophy photos.
but even with all that, vegetarianism/veganism doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve gone days without eating meat. I don’t feel threatened by it. If you tell me you’re vegetarian, I don’t make jokes or squawk about how I’d really love a big juicy steak just to rub your nose in it. If I’m with you and you want to go to a place which serves vegetarian fare, I’ll gladly go and I will find something I like. I love dishes like pindi chana, rajma masala, and aloo palak. I like the Morningstar veggie burger patties because they just fucking taste good.
edited to add:
try roasting them.
Yep, they shrink up, so they take up less space in the trash.
Tried. Several times. Failed. Boiling is fine for me.