Tourists Banned From Nature Park After Hurling Stones At A Panda
A number of tourists who visited a nature reserve in China threw stones at a panda in an attempt to get the bear to move have been blacklisted as a result. The panda was lying motionless beneath a tree where it had been resting in the panda enclosure of the Foping National Nature Reserve in Hanzhong North-East China. A group of approximately 20 individuals got together and began to shout at the bear and when it did not respond, one man began hurling stones at the animal.
Footage posted on social media
Footage of the incident which was posted on social media shows a man throwing objects according to a report in the South China Morning Post. Yan Xihai, the nature reserve marketing manager said a number of people participated by throwing stone and staff members were forced to strep in and prevent them from disturbing the male panda who is aged seven.
Park will improve security
In his interview with the SCMP, Mr Yan said the incident took place at a location where the pandas do not generally spend time, so unfortunately there are no surveillance cameras installed in the area. One visitor did manage to record footage showing the tourist group shouting at the panda in a bid to get his attention and force him to move. Zhen Xihai the nature reserve manager says there will be improvements made to the management of the panda park, and fines will be imposed on the tourists and the agency responsible for the tour.
Enclosure home to rare black & brown panda
If the tourist agency is found guilty of its customers engaging in similar kind of behaviour again, both the company and its guide will be blacklisted by the park according to media reports. The panda enclosure is spread out across 22 acres and serves as home to a nine-year old bear name Qizai whom experts believe is the only living panda in the world to have a coat that is white and brown in colour. Qizai was two months old when he was discovered by conservationists in the Quinling Mountains after his mother disappeared.
Pandas are a national symbol in China
Pandas are revered in China, the Chinese government has spent an awful lot of resources to ensure the species is protected and conserved. Those efforts have paid off and the species is no longer considered to be endangered. There are an estimated 2,000 pandas in the world. According to media reports US First Lady Melania Trump toured the Beijing Zoo during her final days in the country and paid extra attention to a panda named Gu Gu.
