Officials pay up after panda attack
Print Edition
A MAN who sued local government officials after he was attacked by a wild panda has been awarded more than US$80,000 compensation, his lawyer said yesterday.
The animals are renowned for their lovable appearance but despite their placid, bamboo-chewing image they are members of the bear family and have a fearsome bite.
The animal had wandered into Liziba village in northwest China’s Gansu Province, where officials trying to capture it chased it onto Guan Quanzhi’s land, according to the Lanzhou Evening News.
“I saw a panda jump out in front of me, its body completely covered in mud,” Guan told the newspaper.
The creature bit him in the leg and only released its grip when another villager covered its head with a coat, the newspaper said. The incident in March last year left Guan with injuries requiring seven hours of surgery.
The panda escaped.
Guan’s son sued local forestry officials and the nearby Baishuijiang National Nature Reserve, which is home to more than 100 wild pandas.
Following negotiations, officials agreed to pay compensation of 520,000 yuan (US$83,000), his lawyer said.
Guan is “satisfied with the amount,” which will cover his medical bills, Wang Chaohui said, adding that he may need further operations.
The panda’s natural habitat is mostly in mountainous southwest China. They have a low reproductive rate and are under pressure from factors such as habitat loss.
The number of wild giant pandas rose nearly 17 percent over the decade to 2013 to reach 1,864, according to a recent survey, with conservation measures credited for the increase.
Giant pandas have been known to attack humans. In 2008 a panda mauled a 20-year-old man who had climbed into its enclosure at a zoo in southern China.
Nature conservation organization WWF says on its website: “As cuddly as they may look, a panda can protect itself as well as most other bears,” using its heavy weight, strong jaw muscles and large molar teeth. It cautions: “Although used mainly for crushing bamboo, a panda bite can be very nasty.”
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