Chinese Woman Who Threw Biscuit at Panda "Banned for Life"

A woman in her 70s was permanently banned from entering a giant panda base in Sichuan Province, China, after throwing biscuits at the pandas. The base where the incident occurred is known to be one of the candidate homes for Fubao.

[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 19th, local media including China News Network reported that Zhu Mo (71, female), a tourist who threw biscuits during a visit to the Dujiangyan base operated by the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, was placed on a "blacklist" banning her from visiting for life.

The woman reportedly threw biscuits toward the outdoor area where the pandas stay at around 2:30 PM on the 17th during her visit. Because of this, staff entered the panda base to remove the biscuits thrown by Zhu, and local media reported that no pandas ate or came into contact with the biscuits before they were collected.

The center strictly prohibits tourists from feeding or throwing objects at the pandas. Accordingly, the center pointed out Zhu’s violation of the rules, provided education, and placed her on the so-called "blacklist," permanently banning her from visiting the base.

The center stated, "We continuously instruct tourists not to feed or throw objects at the pandas, but uncivilized behavior still persists, which is very regrettable." They added, "We plan to strengthen management and supervision going forward," and urged tourists to remember that "not feeding or throwing objects is the best way to love and respect the pandas."

Meanwhile, Dujiangyan base is one of the four panda bases expected to be the permanent home of Fubao, who left South Korea last month and completed quarantine. Fubao is currently staying in the quarantine and inspection area of the Shensuping base operated by the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.

After about a month of quarantine, Fubao is expected to settle in one of the four panda bases: Shensuping, Hutiaoping, Dujiangyan, or Ya’an. All these bases are located at an altitude of 1,700 meters, providing an ideal environment for pandas to live. They are also fully equipped with infrastructure for scientific research and data collection. All four bases offer environments close to the wild. Once Fubao’s residence is decided, she will live a "semi-wild" life in nature.