Secretly Filmed Video of Zookeeper on Backhill
"Thanks for the Update" vs "Overreaction"... Mixed Reactions
As longing for the giant panda Fubao, who was returned to China on the 3rd, spreads, a channel has emerged uploading videos and photos secretly taken at the Wolong Xueshuiping Base in Sichuan Province where Fubao lives. Among the posts, there is also a video presumed to have been filmed from the mountain behind the space opposite to where Fubao stays. Not only the possibility of abuse but also the number of times the caretaker gives apples to Fubao and whether Fubao has defecated are being shared.
On the 14th, an account operated by Fubao’s devoted fan A appeared on SNS (social network services) such as Instagram. He shared a short video saying, "(Fubao) did not come out to the playground today either." It is known that the quarantined giant panda must undergo a quarantine procedure for a month before it can come out to the playground.
When news of Fubao’s quarantine at the Xueshuiping Base in Wolong, Sichuan Province, China, stopped coming, A climbed the mountain behind the base where the inside of the base is visible to check on Fubao himself.
Reactions were mixed. While some welcomed the news about Fubao, others expressed concerns that the caretaker might be under surveillance.
In response to the controversy, the operator explained. He said that he did not film the videos himself but only collected news about Fubao that spread on Chinese SNS. He explained, "The sources of the photos and videos of Fubao in China were gathered from various Chinese SNS," and "Among them, captures and videos from Chinese fans, as well as photos or videos taken from angles that seem like surveillance, caused the controversy."
He also confessed his special love for Fubao. A said, "Since March last year, I have liked the Bao family, and although I don’t speak the language well as a foreigner, I went to Everland to see the Bao family, spending five hours a month."
He revealed the reason for running the channel, saying, "I have lived in Korea for a long time, so I am very sad and distressed after Fubao left. I understand and empathize with the Korean aunties’ concern for Fubao. I just wanted to inform the Korean aunties immediately whenever there was news related to Fubao."
He continued, "Many people have captured my SNS page and attacked me. It was very hard emotionally," and appealed, "I only want to share the caretaker’s sincere care for Fubao to reassure Korean fans. I respect the caretaker and know that they work very hard. I hope people will not attack me."
Fubao was born on July 20, 2020, between the pandas Lubao and Aibao, who were sent by Chinese President Xi Jinping in March 2016 as a symbol of Korea-China friendship promotion. After enjoying a syndrome-level popularity in Korea, Fubao left Korea on the 3rd, 1,354 days after birth.
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