A drunken Chinese man hoping to hug a panda bear at the Beijing Zoo was mauled by one of the “loveable” animals after he jumped into its enclosure, state press reported on Wednesday.
Zhang Xinyan, on his first trip to Beijing and his first time to see a member of the endangered species, was attacked by Gu Gu on Tuesday afternoon, the Beijing Morning Post reported.
Both of Zhang’s legs were bitten bloody by the panda as they wrestled in the outdoor enclosure in front of scores of onlookers, the paper said.
Security guards and zoo keepers rushed to the scene to rescue Zhang after being alerted by onlookers, it added.
Zhang said he was surprised that the fence around the enclosure was so low and that zoo-goers could get so close to the animals, the paper said.
“That’s when the idea struck him to jump down into the enclosure and hug the panda,” the paper said.
Although Zhang was unable to actually hug the bear, he did manage to bite back while fighting the animal off, it said.
“I was able to reach over and give that animal a bite on his back,” Zhang (35) told the paper. “His skin was really thick.”
Zhang, a worker from north China’s Hebei province, had come to the capital with the sole purpose of seeing a panda and had headed straight to the zoo from the train station, downing four draught beers on the way.
Pandas have long been known to have a wild streak and are capable of attacking humans, especially if they feel threatened, said the paper, citing experts.
In 2003, a college student hoping to be photographed with a panda, jumped about 2m down into the enclosure and broke his leg, the paper said. — AFP