Number 5: Wei Hua
Wei Hua, a 41-year-old conservationist, was attacked by one of the pandas he was observing.
He was working alongside two colleagues in the Wolong Nature Reserve, in the province
of Sichuan, China.
The animals they were studying were Xi Mei, an adult panda, and its cub, Ba Xi.
The scientists were using panda suits so that the mother and daughter wouldn’t be stressed
by their presence.
Usually, the three men didn’t get too close to the pandas, as they were aware of the dangers
involved.
However, one of the panda’s monitoring devices wasn’t working correctly.
They couldn’t seem to get a signal, and so they began searching for the bears.
When they found the animals, they attempted to leave the area.
Xi Mei seemed to feel threatened, though, so she attacked Wei.
The panda bit him several times, pushing him onto the ground and injuring his arms as well
as his feet.
It took his colleagues over five minutes to be able to rescue him.
Wei lost so much blood that he almost required a whole body transfusion.
He also suffered two broken wrists and had to endure reconstructive surgery.
The conservationist assured the press that he’d forgiven Xi Mei, as he knew that the
panda didn’t attack out of viciousness.
What Is It?
The giant panda is a species of bear with highly recognizable patterns on its fur.
It’s mostly white, with black spots over its bulky body and its eyes.
Most of these black marks are around its mouth, legs, and shoulders.
The panda’s diet consists mostly of bamboo.
It eats both the shoots and the leaves but also munches on tubers and grass.
Occasionally, the panda will also indulge in meat, hunting down birds or rodents.
They require large amounts of bamboo shoots every single day to survive.
An adult panda can eat up to 30 lbs.
This is due to the poor nutritional value of this plant.
A higher quantity makes up for the low energy content the bamboo provides.
Many pandas which live in captivity have several other ingredients added to their diets.
These might include eggs, yams, and several fruits, such as bananas or oranges.
A fully grown panda can measure anywhere from 4 to 6 feet long, and it’s rather heavy,
weighing between 150 and 350 lbs.
Usually, the females are smaller than the males.
A panda’s fur is thick, making the already rounded body look even bulkier.
This allows the panda to survive the low temperatures of the forests it inhabits.
The panda has five fingers as well as a thumb.
This last digit is an evolutionary enhancement that allows it to grab the bamboo rods while
it eats.
In the wilderness, pandas tend to live 20 years, while they can live up to 10 years
further in captivity.
The panda is a solitary animal, and females are particularly territorial.
The two genders only meet during the mating season.
A panda’s pregnancy lasts between 95 and 160 days.
Most of the time, twins are born, but the female cannot produce enough milk for both.
This is due to the panda’s diet, which renders it unable to store fat.
The mother raises the cub alone, without the help of the male.
Number 4: Zhang Jiao
Zhang Jiao was visiting the Beijing Zoo with his family when the unexpected happened.
He claimed he was playing with his son with a small toy next to the panda’s pen.
When his son threw the toy back at him, both Jiao and the doll fell into the animal’s
habitat.
Authorities from the zoo insist that he’d climbed inside to retrieve the toy instead.
The wall around the cage was over 5 feet tall, with a 10-foot pit on the other side, so the
man couldn’t climb out without help.
Gu Gu, the panda living inside the den, attacked immediately.
This animal had a history of aggressive reactions to people wandering into its pen.
It had already harmed two other tourists in the past.
The latest one, before Zhang, was a drunken man who’d gotten into the enclosure to hug
Gu Gu.
When the panda bit him, the man shockingly decided to bite it back.
In Zhang’s case, the panda bit him on the left thigh first and then chewed up the man’s
right leg.
His wounds were critical, and the panda’s teeth caused considerable damage to several
of his muscles.
Gu Gu’s handlers had to pry the panda’s jaws open in order to have it let go of Zhang.
Fortunately, he survived the attack and didn’t suffer permanent damage.
Where Is It Located?
The giant panda’s primary habitat is the Chinese province of Sichuan.
It also roams the woods of Shaanxi and Gansu.
They’re so popular in China that over 20 different word variations can be found in
the Chinese language.
Due to its specific dietary and environmental requirements, this animal cannot survive in
other locations, except in captivity.
This makes the great panda especially vulnerable to deforestation.
As of 2016, it’s believed that only 1,864 pandas still live in the wilderness.
It’s considered a vulnerable animal by the IUCN.
Up until 2016, it was classified as endangered.
Zoos around the world that host pandas are expected to pay a yearly tribute to China.
The main danger to pandas is human activity and farming, which destroys their natural
habitat.
There are few other animals that pose a threat to it.
The cubs might become prey to snow leopards, eagles, and black bears.
Pandas are notoriously passive, spending most of the day resting.
They have short periods of activity, usually at dawn and at dusk.
This behavior changes radically in captivity.
They tend to have peaks of energy at different times of the day.
This happens mainly during the morning, then the afternoon and finally at midnight.
Since they don’t hibernate, they must travel during winter seasons.
They search for areas of the mountains with a warmer climate.
This happens because they don’t settle in permanent resting places and search for temporary
shelters, instead.
The panda is not a particularly aggressive animal.
That being said, it’s still a bear, and it may attack when feeling threatened or irritated.
Since they have the reputation of being docile, this tends to be a problem with human encounters.
People approach them without considering the dangers that the panda can pose.
Number 3: Chinese tourist
A Chinese tourist was attacked by a giant panda named Mei Ling when he attempted to
sneak into its pen for some cuddles.
Only the man’s last name was revealed.
The man, surnamed Chen, was trying to showcase his bravery among some of his friends at the
Nanchang Zoo.
He was determined to climb into the panda’s cage and hug it while it slept.
He managed to go up the 4' 3” fence and then leaped over the 10ft deep pit.
He approached the panda and began teasing it.
This caused the animal to wake up.
Mei Ling wrapped its arms around the man’s leg and bit down.
When he tried to squeeze away, the panda sat on him for over five minutes.
There is footage online showing the beast and its victim struggling on the floor.
The man was only able to escape when Mei Ling rolled over.
Instead of sticking around and asking for medical help, he fled the zoo.
Fortunately, it seemed that his injuries weren’t too severe, since he was able to run away.
The panda wasn’t hurt in the struggle.
As of the making of this video, the police haven’t been able to find the man.
Zookeepers say he was incredibly lucky Mei Ling seemed to have played with him instead
of going in for the kill.
Todays' video was requested by Arav Akhtar.
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How Will It Kill You?
The giant panda might look harmless, but it’s important to remember that it’s still a
bear.
This means that even though it’s not generally a carnivore, it still poses a danger when
feeling threatened.
The bamboo stem is incredibly tough.
This means the panda needs a strong bite to feed off it on a daily basis.
The panda has both sturdy jaw muscles and wide molar teeth.
It’s considered to have one of the most powerful bite forces in the animal kingdom.
Thanks to their thumbs, they can also grab at their victims and hold them close while
they keep attacking.
This beast doesn’t confront animals or humans out of anger and only occasionally feeds on
small rodents or birds.
Pandas would rather flee than attack as they’re typically nonaggressive animals.
However, when they feel trapped or annoyed, they may choose to defend themselves.
The panda can both swim and climb proficiently, but it won’t use these skills to attack.
It’s best not to come too close to a panda, whether in captivity or in the wild.
Most of the people who have been mauled by one were deceived by its cuddly appearance.
It’s worth mentioning that pandas can be aggressive toward one another.
In the wilderness, the female is hostile against other members of the species.
This behavior doesn’t change in captivity.
The cub tends to abandon its mother after about 18 months.
If they are kept together after the cub achieves independence, both animals begin acting aggressively
towards each other.
Number 2: College student surnamed Liu A young man, whose full name wasn’t reported,
decided he wanted to hug a panda.
Instead of rethinking what would turn out to be a foolish decision, he went to Qixing
Park.
Once there, he searched for the panda’s pen and climbed over the 6' 5” fence.
There weren’t many visitors in the area, so no one noticed Liu entering the habitat
at first.
The panda resting inside was named Yang Yang, and it immediately lunged at Liu.
It bit his arms and legs viciously.
Fortunately, two tourists noticed the man as he was struggling to escape.
The park’s employees were notified, and they rushed to help Liu.
The keepers had to calm the animal down so that it would let go of Liu’s legs.
By then, however, it had already harmed him severely.
The student told authorities he thought Yang Yang was cute, and that he wanted to cuddle
with it.
He claimed he didn’t expect to be attacked, and figured the animal would act friendly
towards him.
Liu had to endure surgery and spend several days under observation.
He managed to make a full recovery.
The Park’s authorities declared that there are signs warning tourists against climbing
in the animals’ pens.
How to Survive?
Generally speaking, the best way to survive the panda is to avoid getting too close to
it.
As most pandas are found in captivity, this is easy to achieve.
People who are mauled by this Chinese bear usually approach it recklessly.
Keepers tend not to enter the enclosure where adult pandas live, to avoid both stressing
the animal and being attacked by it.
In 1984, an incident occurred in Washington’s National Zoo.
Ling Ling, the panda under the zoo’s care, couldn’t be located inside its cage.
One of its keepers stepped into the enclosure to check on the giant panda.
He didn’t take more than two steps inside since he knew it was dangerous.
The keeper was attacked but managed to survive and return to work after a period of bed rest.
If confronted by a panda, it’s best to run away immediately since its bite can significantly
harm you.
Immediate medical attention must be provided when an attack occurs.
Number 1: Guan Quanzhi A lost panda wandered into the village of
Liziba, in China’s Gansu Province.
It was clearly scared and outside its natural habitat.
When villagers noticed the animal, they alerted the police.
Officers attempted to catch the giant panda, but it fled.
The animal ran into Guan Quanzhi’s property, as the man was working on his farm.
Terrified, the panda felt cornered and attacked Quanzhi.
It bit his leg and wouldn’t let go.
Villagers who’d heard the commotion rushed to help.
They were able to place a coat over the panda’s head.
This caused it to finally release Quanzhi, who was severely injured.
The animal managed to flee back into the forest.
The man was rushed to the hospital, but his health was in a delicate state.
He was forced to remain hospitalized for over two months.
Over the course of a year, the victim had to endure eight surgeries in order to save
his leg.
Even after all this effort, the doctors assured Quanzhi he might still lose his limb since
the damage was too severe.
Quanzhi sued several government departments and was granted the equivalent to $70,000
in yuans.
The farmer hasn’t been able to go back to work as of the making of this video.
He’ll likely require further surgeries to prevent him from becoming permanently disabled.
Thanks for watching!
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