Sometimes, Scientists are Furries (photo)

By Xeni Jardin at 1:03 pm Tuesday, Dec 7

A researcher dressed in a panda costume puts a panda cub into a box before its physical examination at the Hetaoping Research and Conservation Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong National Nature Reserve, Sichuan province.

The 4-month old cub, the first in the center to be trained for reintroduction into the wild, is monitored by hidden cameras. Researchers performing physical examinations on the cub wear panda costumes to ensure that the cub's environment is devoid of human influence, according to local media.

Here's a related story in the UK paper Telegraph.

(Picture taken December 3, 2010. REUTERS)