Panda Bites Tourist in China

The tourist was trying to retrieve his child's toy. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

It's the third visitor the panda has bitten.

Maybe the Beijing Zoo should start protecting the panda more so it doesn't have to protect itself from these idiots.

Controversial Panda Moves Anger Activists

Well, China is at it again. This time it's angering animal activists with a couple of controversial panda trades.

First, to Scotland...

PLANS to move a breeding pair of giant pandas to Scotland have attracted criticism from animal rights campaigners and a small band of politicians.

The attraction is owned by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which also runs Edinburgh Zoo which is set to become home to the pandas.

However, Green MSP Robin Harper has tabled a motion at the Scottish Parliament and Liberal Democrat MP Mike Hancock took a similar step at Westminster calling for the plan to be scrapped.

They believe the money saved to be used to protect the animals' native habitat in the bamboo forests of China.

Then, to Japan....

Animal rights activists on Wednesday urged Japan to reject visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao's offer of two pandas, saying the crowd-pleasing animals would be miserable in a zoo.

Hu, trying to reconcile with Japan on the first visit by a Chinese president to Tokyo in a decade, offered to lend a male and a female panda to replace Ling Ling, who died last week at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) sent a letter to Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura urging Japan to halt the deal.

What is a totalitarian government to do to earn some love?

Photo by Renee Weppner.

Pandas in China OK After Earthquake

Giant pandas at the Wolong Giant Panda Reserve Center in Sichuan are safe according to the Chinese.

Authorities confirmed Tuesday that captive animals in two of China's major panda reserves were alive, according to Xinhua, China's official news agency.

The Wolong Giant Panda Reserve Center in southwest Sichuan province is home to about 86 giant pandas, who were reported safe Tuesday.

Staff and critters at neighboring Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center were also reported safe, according to a spokesperson for the Atlanta Zoo, which has two pandas on loan from the wildlife reserve.