China Giant Panda Center Responds to Three Major Questions Regarding Young Panda Suffocation Death

On April 10th, the China Giant Panda Protection Research Center announced: 'Lu Lu Zi,' a female giant panda eight months old at the Shenshiping Base, died due to entanglement of the climbing rope around its neck, causing suffocation. On the afternoon of November 11th, the Panda Center accepted an interview with CCTV's Central News Unit.

Hotspot One: Has a similar situation happened before?

China Giant Panda Protection Research Center Professor Huang Yan introduced: 'I have been doing giant panda research for 30 years, and I have never seen such a situation. It also felt very unexpected. Whether it is a wild giant panda or a captive panda, sometimes it will fall from a tree or from a few meters high, and occasionally some injuries will occur, but this is the first time.'

Hotspot Two: Why do giant pandas appear outdoors at night?

Why do giant pandas appear in the outdoor exercise field at night? Huang Yan introduced that the small door connecting the panda kindergarten to the enclosure and the exercise field is generally open, and the giant pandas are free to enter and exit. The keepers generally do not interfere too much. Through the study of giant pandas, whether wild pandas or captive pandas, besides their activity during the day, they also have activity peaks at night. It is not exactly the same as human's rest time, giant pandas sometimes have a higher activity frequency at night.

Hotspot Three: How to plug the security gaps in giant panda management?

Regarding the death of 'Lu Lu Zi,' the Panda Center expressed deep regret and responded: There is a certain gap in the security management of giant pandas. Currently, the climbing apparatus at the accident site has been removed. Huang Yan said that climbing is beneficial to the growth and development of giant pandas, but it should pay more attention to its safety and requires higher standards. On the same day as the accident, the four bases of the Panda Center had already started to eliminate these hidden dangers, especially those with ropes, such as sharp objects, and other items that may affect the safety of the pandas, one by one, were checked.

(CCTV News Client Zheng Bo Huang Li)