Panda Mauls Tourist At Beijing Zoo

BEIJING — A panda at the Beijing zoo bit his third tourist in two years _ and this time, his jaws had to be forced open to free the man, who had jumped in to retrieve his son's toy.

Gu Gu, a 240-pound (110-kilogram) panda, mauled the man's legs and refused to let go until zookeepers pried his jaws open with tools, said a zoo spokeswoman surnamed Gong. She would not give her full name, as is common among Chinese officials.

Gu Gu first made news in 2007 when he bit a drunken tourist who jumped into his pen and tried to hug him. The tourist retaliated by biting the panda in the back.

In October, Gu Gu viciously bit a teenager who climbed into his exercise area out of curiosity.

The Beijing News said the latest victim, Zhang Jiao of central Anhui province, suffered damage to major ligaments and is recovering from surgery.

The newspaper quoted tourists as saying Zhang appeared to first look around to see if pandas were nearby before jumping in to get his 5-year-old son's toy.

Pandas, a national symbol of China and often seen as being cute and cuddly, can be violent when provoked or startled. Zoo officials have considered unspecified measures to prevent further incidents.

Police were investigating, and it was not clear yet if Zhang would face criminal charges, Gong said.

Comments

[SangZe]

Anything to bash China. This is not news.

[firewmn]

Panda's are NOT domesticated even in cages..stupido..

[otiswaynehale]

oops!! a few more bipeds before he dies.

[otiswaynehale]

You would think a better fence would be in order to keep the bi-pedal idiots away from the pandas. On the other hand, the ratio of bi-pedal idiots to pandas is badly skewed against the pandas. It just looks like natural selection at work to me, and I hope he gets to chew

[vinny]

food chain in china...

pandas > chinese > cats

[victorsays]

Your comment is dispicable.

[SaraPulis]

It's good to be reminded that ours isn't the only country chock-full of idiots.

[Leslib]

Sounds like the zookeepers have caged the wrong animals. Keep the idiots caged and away from the animals.

[yodaveg]

You think pandas are bad? Jimmy Carter fended of a fierce rabbit. I was chased by a sloth but just managed to escape.

[Dukedraven]

When are people going to learn that pandas are smarter than the average bear? They know you think they're cute and cuddly, but they're not. They'll tear you to shreds if you get into their enclosures.

[gd7277467]

Way to go Gu Gu !

Throw that cute Panda a little Asian man for a treat !

[trendier]

I know pandas are cute and they seem cudldly. If I were there you can bet that I would love the opportunity to hug and kiss the said bear. However, I being an intelligent person I would restrain myself knowing that the bear would tear my face off. It never seems to amaze me as to how dumb people are.

[rmarie]

Why are so many people jumping in to be with a bear?? They're cute, but they are still bears! If my kid ever drops a toy into a panda pit...he's not getting it back.

[ELReinhard]

Animals should not be in zoos and cages to begin with. The fault is on the human, who is suppose to be more intelligent.

[saber75]

How do you expect pandas to survive if they aren't kept in zoos? It's not like their natural habitat is safe anymore nor spacious and adequate for their needs.

[gd7277467]

Way to go Gu Gu !

[chevyval]

Pandas are solitary animals and they don't really want to be
with human beings - especially stupid ones.

[squander123]

...I tend to feel the same myself!