“Have you ever seen a zoo give a panda a vaccine and end up making it unable to walk? Well, it just happened at Nanjing Hongshan Zoo!” On April 13, a blogger posted on social media claiming that zoo staff had given the giant panda “Jiujiu” a vaccine, which allegedly caused one of her hind legs to stop functioning properly, resulting in her walking with a limp.
On April 14, media reported that the Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo responded, stating: “During the vaccination process, the injection touched a nerve. In the future, we will choose an area on the back with fewer nerves for vaccinations.” A reporter contacted the zoo, and a staff member from the veterinary department confirmed that panda Jiujiu did experience some limping but is now recovering well. “It was never a serious issue,” the staff said.
Public records show that Jiujiu is a female giant panda born on August 10, 2015, at the Ya’an Bifengxia Base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda. On September 30, 2017, she and her sister Hehe were transferred to Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo.
On April 14, the blogger’s video showed Jiujiu’s right hind leg not functioning properly, which made her movements slow and unsteady, with a noticeable limp as she walked.
The video drew widespread attention from netizens. One visitor noted, “I went to the panda house on the 12th and noticed something was off with Jiujiu. She just sat by the door and didn’t want to come out. After 9 a.m., she finally came out slowly, but I saw she was avoiding putting weight on her right hind leg and was dragging it while climbing a slope. Later, I heard it was due to the vaccination. I really hope Jiujiu gets better soon.”