Sunday, January 11, 2009

Pandemonium

A Beijing zoo panda has bit three tourists in two years, the latest being Zhang Jiao who jumped into the panda’s pen to retrieve his son's toy (cough "idiot" cough). Gu Gu, a 110-kilogram panda, mauled the man's legs and refused to let go until zookeepers pried his jaws open with tools.

Sounds horrible, doesn’t it. Yet, once again, the back-story is key to understanding the situation.

Gu Gu first made news in 2007 when he bit a drunken tourist who jumped into his pen and tried to hug him. The tourist retaliated by biting the panda in the back.

It should come as no surprize to anyone that I’m siding with Gu Gu on this one. On my morning commute, I come face to face with some pretty unsavoury chaps, usually on the path over the bridge which is reduced to a bobsled style corridor after big snowfalls.

If one of these meshugenehs started to hug me up and then in the ensuing struggle bit me in the back… it is probably safe to say that I’d also have an incredibly short fuse. Way to go Gu Gu… putting the Bear back in Panda.

3 comments:

Raving Winnipina said...

Go, Gu Gu! I'm the same when bums trespass on my property....

Anonymous said...

I'm totally with Gu Gu on this one. I think I bit the Childrens' Hospital mascot, Dr. Goodbear once for hugging me. Either I bit him or kicked him in the nards.

Actually, now that I really think of it, I probably did both.

*To clarify, I did not bite him in the nards...*

Raving Winnipina said...

Whew! Glad you cleared that up :)