Close Call! 9-Year-Old Panda Tackles Caregiver, Tourists Scream

On September 19, videos surfaced online showing a panda named Tintin (丁丁, Ding Ding) at Chongqing Zoo chasing and tackling a staff member.

In the footage recorded by onlookers, Tintin was initially near the staff passageway. A female staff member attempted to push an iron gate but didn’t lock it, causing the gate to spring back open. Tintin then tried to enter the passage again, prompting the caregiver to close the gate once more.

About ten seconds later, as the caregiver returned to a cement area, Tintin suddenly started chasing her, causing nearby tourists to scream. The caregiver, frightened, lay on the ground and kicked to fend off the panda. After more than ten seconds, she finally broke free and quickly escaped.

According to an interview with Beijing Youth Daily, the caregiver was not seriously injured, and further details are being assessed.

Tintin, a female panda born on August 30, 2015, at Chongqing Zoo, has lineage number 982. Her mother is Ya Lao Er, and her siblings include pandas You You, Mang Zai, Er Shun, and Hao Qi, as well as a younger sister named Liang Yue.

Tintin’s name is inspired by the comic “The Adventures of Tintin.” The zoo hopes the panda cub will embody the adventurous spirit of the character and explore the world. They also aim to leverage the globally recognized name “Tintin” to help people of all ages remember this adorable Chongqing panda.

Notably, a similar incident occurred at the zoo in April this year. On April 23, the zoo management reported that a caregiver was tackled by two pandas, Yu Ke and Yu Ai, while leading them to a feeding area. Fortunately, neither the caregiver nor the pandas were harmed.

Following the incident, the panda house held a safety meeting to review the situation and implement measures to prevent similar occurrences.

As of July 30, reports from Chongqing Daily indicate that Chongqing Zoo has the largest population of giant pandas among urban zoos in China, with 23 pandas currently residing there. The panda house, after three expansions, now covers nearly 20,000 square meters, making it one of the oldest panda breeding bases in the country.