Hanging Rope Entangles Panda Cub's Neck, 8-Month-Old Panda Baby Dies Unexpectedly; Incident Occurred at Night and Was Not Discovered Until Later

CCTV News:China Giant Panda Protection Research Center issued an emergency notification at 10 p.m. on the 10th: Female giant panda 'Lu Lu Zi' at the Shenshiping Base died due to strangulation caused by the rope of a hanging ball toy wrapping around its neck. The Panda Center responded to the situation yesterday (November 11) afternoon.

According to the China Giant Panda Protection Research Center, at approximately 2:00 a.m. on April 9th, 'Lu Lu Zi' was playing alone on the outdoor exercise field of the Panda Kindergarten at Shenshiping Base when it climbed onto a wooden frame with hanging ball toys. Subsequently, the cub wrapped the rope of the hanging ball around its body and began struggling, and unfortunately died after several minutes. Because the incident occurred late at night, and the location where the cub was wrapped was difficult to determine, the night patrol personnel failed to discover any abnormalities. It is reported that the small door connecting the cub's enclosure and the exercise field is generally open, allowing giant pandas to freely enter and exit, and the keepers generally do not interfere excessively.

Regarding the death of giant panda 'Lu Lu Zi', the Panda Center expressed deep regret and stated that the research center had made omissions in giant panda safety management. Currently, the relevant devices at the incident site have been removed.