Panda in Chongqing Zoo chases and tackles zookeeper after she accidentally closes door on its paw

A giant panda in Chongqing Zoo, China, chased its zookeeper and tackled her to the ground after she prevented it from going through a door to a restricted area and accidentally closed the door on its paw.

Footage from Sept 19, reshared by TikTok account Pandadreamhome, shows Ding Ding the panda trying to go through a metal door, presumably going to the back of its enclosure or for use by keepers only.

As Ding Ding approaches the door, the keeper runs to close it but it bounces open, to yells from onlookers. The keeper pushes the panda aside and tries to close it again, but accidentally hits its paw with the door.

The keeper moves away quickly from Ding Ding, but when she approaches it again, the bear charges at her.

She tries to keep it at bay by pushing on its head, but Ding Ding then grabs her legs and tackles her to the ground before appearing to bite her arms.

However, Ding Ding seems to grow disinterested after a few seconds and turns around, and the zookeeper manages to kick it off and run away.

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Following this incident, Chongqing Zoo released a statement on its Weibo account, sharing that both keeper and bear were safe.

"Around 9.50am on Sept 19, 2024, a keeper was chased and knocked down by the giant panda Ding Ding while operating in its outdoor activity area," it read.

"After the incident, the keeper went to the hospital for medical treatment as soon as possible and was found to be in good health after examination.

"The staff observed Ding Ding, and it ate and moved normally without any adverse reactions."

The zoo vowed to "draw profound lessons" from the incident and "strengthen the strict" operation protocols used by zookeepers to prevent such an incident from happening again.

This follows an incident in April, when twin pandas Yu Ke and Yu Ai at Chongqing Zoo chased and knocked a zookeeper over while she was reportedly leading them to their feeding area, according to The Global Times.

They pinned her down and nipped at her until another zookeeper came into the enclosure to lure them away before both keepers escaped safely.

Panda attacks

Though pandas are primarily herbivorous, they are still bears with large teeth and impressive bite forces.

Previous incidents involving panda attacks have occurred, especially in captivity, though rarely.

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In 2015, a Gansu man was attacked by a panda after it was chased onto his land by officials and bit his leg severely, requiring seven hours of surgery. He sued the local government and was compensated 520,000 yuan (S$95,000), according to an article by the Guardian.

Between 2006 and 2009, three men — two of them drunk — fell or climbed into the giant panda enclosure at Beijing City Zoo and were severely mauled, causing injuries on arms and legs that required extensive skin grafts, noted a paper published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine.

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drimac@asiaone.com

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