Chinese man awarded payout after being bitten by wild panda

A Chinese man who sued local government officials over an attack by a wild panda has been awarded 520,000 yuan (£56,000, $83,000) in compensation, his lawyer said. 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 wandered into Liziba village, in the northwestern province of Gansu, where local officials trying to capture it chased it onto Guan Quanzhi’s land. “I saw a panda jump out in front of me, its body completely covered in mud,” he said. The creature bit him in the leg and only released its grip when another villager covered its head with a coat.
The incident in March last year left Guan with injuries requiring seven hours of surgery. 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 the compensation, his lawyer Wang Chaohui said.
Guan is “satisfied with the amount”, which will cover his medical bills, he said, adding that he may need further operations. The 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.”