PubaO Korean Fans to Hold Truck Protest on 27th
Chinese Panda Research Center Accused of Neglect and Abuse
"Protest Held to Demand Better Treatment"
A claim has emerged that Fubao, who returned to China, is being used for 'private receptions,' prompting Korean fans to hold a truck protest in front of the Chinese Embassy.
On the 27th, the Fubao Gallery announced that they conducted a one-person truck protest from 8:40 a.m., traveling back and forth between the Embassy of the People's Republic of China and the China Cultural Center in Korea. They reportedly staged the protest after judging that there were issues with Fubao's management based on videos provided by the China Giant Panda Protection Center, which manages Fubao.
Earlier, a photo presumed to be of Fubao was released on Chinese social networking services (SNS), showing the panda up close. In the photo, the panda appeared to have hair loss and a pressed neck area, raising suspicions that it was wearing a collar and being used for 'receptions.' In response to the controversy, the China Giant Panda Protection Research Center posted a 1 minute and 33 seconds video of Fubao on its official Weibo account on the 25th. However, the video showed Fubao lying on a dirty cement floor with scattered food pieces, which further angered netizens.
Korean fans explained, "Even in the video released by the center as an explanation, wounds and patches of missing fur were found on Fubao's face and neck," adding, "There are growing suspicions of abuse and reception due to the poor environment shown in the video." They continued, "The center is avoiding detailed explanations," and stated, "This protest was held to demand improvements in the treatment of giant pandas, which are vulnerable to infections, along with the recently raised suspicions."
The Korean fans said, "Even if these suspicions are not true, we believe that we must receive a response ensuring that such incidents will never happen to Fubao in the future," and added, "We absolutely cannot tolerate ordinary people touching or feeding Fubao instead of keepers, and we cannot take this situation lightly in order to protect Fubao's health and the instincts of wild animals." They also mentioned that additional truck protests are planned if there is no response to this protest.
Meanwhile, Fubao is the first cub born between Lubao (father) and Aibao (mother), who were brought to Everland after President Xi Jinping's visit to Korea in 2014. Fubao was born on July 20, 2020, as the first giant panda naturally bred in South Korea. From a young age, Fubao was loved by keepers and grew fond of people, gaining affection from many due to its particularly round and cute appearance. Fubao was moved last month on the 3rd to the China Giant Panda Protection Research Center located in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, to find a mate.
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