A man in China who leaped into a panda enclosure in a zoo to impress the ladies should feel lucky that all he ended up losing were his pants and some dignity.
According to Chinese media, the incident happened on Thursday (Oct 27) in Nanchang, Jiangxi province.
The man had reportedly gone to the zoo with two women.
The report said that the man climbed over the 1.3m-tall railing and leaped into the enclosure, which was 3m below the railing, in a likely attempt to impress his female companions. The enclosure is also surrounded by a ditch about 1.5m wide.
The only panda in the enclosure at that time was the 12-year-old Mei Ling, which weighs 120kg. Emboldened by the fact that he was not detected by the panda, which was asleep at the time, the man walked near the mammal and tried to pat it.
The panda woke up at this time and then charged at the man, grabbing his leg.
Man and bear then engaged in a wrestling match that lasted for about five minutes, the report said. The panda had not been fed yet that day, according to the zoo’s manager.
But luckily for the man, the panda only wanted to play with him, the manager said after watching video footage of the “attack”.
The man finally managed to disentangle himself and fled – unharmed – but not before having his pants all torn up. The zoo also said later that Mei Ling was not harmed in the tussle.
The zoo manager has reminded visitors that giant pandas, although frequently seen eating bamboo leaves, stems and shoots, are known to supplement their diet with rabbits or rodents, the South China Morning Post reported.
We can probably conclude that one male definitely did impress the ladies in that enclosure on Thursday. Yes, Mei Ling is male.
sinsh@sph.com.sg
