Provoked Panda Pounces On Trespassing Teen

Chinese Boy Jumps Zoo Barrier During Feeding Time; Severely Bitten On Both Legs

(AP)  A male panda at the Beijing Zoo once bitten by a drunk tourist attacked a teenager, ripping chunks out of the boy's legs, officials and a newspaper said Tuesday.

The 15-year-old had jumped over a 4-foot, 7-inch barrier surrounding an outdoor exercise area for pandas on Monday afternoon while 8-year-old Gu Gu and another bear were being fed, said a man surnamed Zhang, the director of the zoo management office.

The teen startled 240-pound Gu Gu, who bit the unwanted visitor on both legs, said Zhang, who would not give his full name.

The Beijing News identified the teen as Li Xitao, citing emergency medical officials who said he was so viciously attacked that his bones were showing. Chunks of flesh were left behind in the ambulance, they said.

Gu Gu was in the news last year when he was bitten by a drunk tourist. The man jumped into the bear's pen and tried to hug him, but was bitten instead. The tourist retaliated by biting the bear in the back.

Pandas, which generally have a public image as cute creatures, are nonetheless wild animals that can be violent when provoked or startled.

Li, who is from Hebei province in northeast China but makes a living in Beijing selling recyclables that he picks off the street, had climbed into the panda enclosure out of curiosity, the newspaper said, citing zoo security who had spoken with the boy.

Keepers who were in the exercise area at the time broke up the attack, which lasted two or three minutes, Zhang said. They managed to lure Gu Gu away from Li, Zhang said, explaining that the pandas have been trained to obey keepers' commands.

The panda enclosure operated normally after the attack, the official said. Gu Gu was seen snacking on bamboo later in the afternoon, The Beijing News said.

Zoo officials were considering unspecified measures to prevent further incidents. "We have to prepare against such behavior," Zhang said, adding that visitors should "act properly when visiting and love the animals."

The barrier around the exercise area can't be any taller because it would block the view of the pandas, he said.

Li was taken to Beijing Children's Hospital. An operator at the main number for the hospital directed calls Tuesday to the surgery department, where phones were not answered.

Police were investigating, and it was not yet clear whether Li would face any criminal charges, Zhang said.

[toldyouso21]

Bet he''ll think twice now before jumping into the cage of a wild animal.....that is--if he still has enough leg left to make jumps with. Too bad his parents probably won''t be charged with raising a stupid delinquent.

[ecuadoriana]

Later, Gu Gu was overheard to exclaim, "Why, the boy tasted just like chicken!"

[jasbek]

Now come on, he wasn''t trying to hug the thing. Give me a break. He was just trying to get into trouble. You must not have brothers or boys. 15 year old boys don''t get overcome with affection for a bear!! What a laugh.

[tngreen]

Wow, you people are hard! The kid was overcome by feelings of affection and wanted to hug the bear, and now he may never walk again. Where I come from, most boys that age would be trying to shoot the creature and strap it across the hood of their pickup truck. This boy showed the poor impulse control that is so common among teenage boys and what so often gets them in trouble, but in this case the impulse presented danger only to himself and was based, from the reports, in his love for animals. He has learned the very hard lesson--in a most horrible way--that before a boy decides to show his affection, it''s best to ensure that the huggee returns your feelings. Too bad teenage GIRLS don''t have fangs--we''d have a lot fewer rapes.

[jetlizhan]

the bear was protecting himself - what a stupid thing to do - dumb@ss teenager; serves him right.

[dogband]

At 15 he should know better, got what he deserved. Lucky to be alive. Idiot

[rfcnj68]

Who said stupid people only lived in America? Hey if he wants I know someone that has some lions he could play with they are cute and cuddly.

[ksjeff-2009]

If this ******* lived in the USA, his attorneys would be suing the zoo for negligence, and the panda would be destroyed. It sounds like their might be a little more common sense left in China than here.

[blackbug99]

LOL, we all know the Panda had WMD''s. Mr. Li has learned a hard lesson. Perhaps, when he recovers some community service at the zoo would be in order. Since he delves in recycling, maybe cleaning the large mammal cages would be in order. If he does well they might even let him get close to some of the animals he loves. And, btw, they can build a "Great Wall," but they can''t keep people out of the Panda pen. They''ve never heard of plexi-glass?

[rational_1]

"Li ... had climbed into the panda enclosure out of curiosity, the newspaper said"

Perhaps Li was curious how it felt to get flayed alive and is now probably out looking for someone to help him with his do-it-yourself disemboweling kit.

A Darwin award nominee in the making...

[koukla50]

What an idiot, although I don''t want to see someone so terrible hurt, what was he thinking?? NOT. Hopefully the panda will not be "punished."

[my5200-2009]

Li should not only face criminal charges, but also penalties from the zoo itself on behalf of Gu Gu. He should pay some penalty to the zoo for causing the problem and disturbing the animals.

[barbaraf4]

Gu Gu two, idiot humans zero.

[marcodele]

I heard the kid was Larry Craig''s nephew. He didn''t really climb the fence, the Panda just mistook his wide stance for that of climbing a fence.

[crystalblue3]

What an idiot. He deserved what he got.

[trillion1]

Good for the panda.