Recently, a giant panda named Ming Lan, housed in a zoo in Beijing, managed to climb over a protective fence several meters high to escape. Fortunately, no unfortunate incidents occurred.
The Beijing Daily reported on December 16 that on the afternoon of December 15, a large panda named Ming Lan at the Beijing Zoo attempted to escape by climbing over the fence. Zoo staff immediately evacuated nearby visitors and used food to lure the panda back to its enclosure.
Mr. Liu, a local resident who witnessed the entire process of the panda climbing over the fence, revealed to a reporter from the Beijing Daily: “Around 11:30 AM, a giant panda approached the fence. It stepped on some decorations inside and climbed up the misting line of the fence. The misting line bent down as a result. Then, it grabbed the fence with both paws and swung one leg over the top.”
Mr. Liu noted that there were still many visitors outside the fence at that time, and the panda even poked its head out to gaze at the guests from atop the fence, “looking quite charming.” Zoo staff quickly arrived at the scene to evacuate visitors. Mr. Liu also mentioned that he was unsure how the panda managed to return inside the fence.
The panda even poked its head out to gaze at the guests from atop the fence, “looking quite charming.”
According to one visitor, the staff used food to entice the panda back inside the fence.
The zoo staff stated that they had returned Ming Lan to its enclosure and had “sternly educated it,” and that it was in good condition.
By the afternoon, according to observations by reporters from the Beijing Daily, Ming Lan was resting again in the panda enclosure at the Beijing Zoo.
The section of the fence that the panda climbed over was more than 2 meters high. The bent misting line has been repaired. The area the panda attempted to escape from was not a visitor area and was separated by a wall about 2 meters high from where the guests stood.
Two zookeepers were standing outside the fence observing. One staff member even affectionately teased Ming Lan like a mischievous child: “You just snuck out, didn’t you? I’m really impressed with you! Are you still in the mood to eat well? Go ahead and eat your fill, then try to escape again!”
