"Pubaowas a Gentle Giant"... Two Pandas Attack Keeper in China, 'Chilling'

Two Pandas at Zoo Rush Toward Keeper
Escaped with Help from Another Keeper
Reevaluating Fubao... "Born in a Confucian Country"

Puba and Gang Cheol-won, zookeeper Song Young-kwan.
[Photo by Samsung C&T Corporation]

Two pandas at a zoo in China have sparked controversy after showing aggression and charging at a zookeeper.

On the 23rd (local time), Chongqing Zoo in China reported that two pandas that had come out to the outdoor enclosure charged at a zookeeper who was distributing food.

In the video, the zookeeper giving food is pushed backward by the pandas and falls down. Afterwards, the zookeeper, with a pained expression, tries to push the pandas away with their arms, but the pandas continue to press their bodies against the zookeeper. The zookeeper struggles, even losing one shoe, but is unable to break free from the pandas alone. Spectators watching the situation called for help from the zoo staff, saying "Something is happening in the outdoor enclosure," and only after two other zookeepers separated the pandas was the zookeeper able to escape.

The Chongqing Zoo stated that neither the zookeeper nor the two pandas were injured, explaining the incident by saying, "After the zookeeper placed the food, while guiding the pandas, the two pandas chased the zookeeper." They added, "After the accident, the panda enclosure immediately held a safety meeting and took measures to prevent similar incidents."

Public Opinion Spreads: While Foreign Pandas Show Aggression... 'Pubao is a Gentle One'

Pandas attacking the zookeeper who is feeding them.
Photo by Weibo

This is not the first time panda aggression has come to light. On the 22nd, a post titled "It's not a cat, it's a bear" went viral on the social media platform X. The author warned, "Do not underestimate giant pandas as innocent," stating, "They are 'iron-eating beasts.' Recently in Russia, a one-year-old giant panda cub named Katyusha accidentally scratched a zookeeper while playing." The accompanying photos show deep claw marks on the zookeeper's left hand and clear claw marks on the abdomen. The dangerous wounds shocked netizens at first glance.

Attention is also focused on Pubao, who was born in Korea and returned to China on the 3rd. Netizens responded with comments such as "Pubao was well-behaved," "A good panda who never once left claw marks on the zookeeper," "Born in a Confucian country, so it never raises its hand against elders," and "The zookeepers' love must have made Pubao grow up gentle."

Meanwhile, Pubao is South Korea's first naturally bred panda, born on July 20, 2020, at Everland in Yongin. Born to Lubao and Aibao, Pubao returned to China on the 3rd, his 1,354th day since birth, and is currently in quarantine at the Shenshuping (神樹坪) base in Wolong, Sichuan Province.