A hungry, lost wild giant panda prompted a long rescue operation as it trapped itself on a mountain cliff near a village in southwest China, China's Central Television (CCTV) reported on Tuesday (February 9).
CCTV said local villagers spent hours trying to help the 100-kilogram panda to descend from the 50-meter-high cliff in E'bian County, Sichuan province, after it was spotted in the early morning of Friday (February 5).
Villagers believed the panda had been stuck on the cliff for hours but was scared to get too close to the equally scared animal, they eventually called wildlife experts to the rescue.
"Panda is China's national treasure. Nobody dared to touch it," one worker explained.
After nearly seven hours, the workers and villagers managed to lure the panda off the cliff. According to CCTV, the rescuers' tempting bait of a banana proved too hard for the panda to resist.
Experts believed the wild panda had descended from the mountains in search of food.
Scientists believe there are around 1,590 giant pandas living in the wild in China, most in the mountains of southwest.
The endangered species are considered a national icon in China and are often used to bolster foreign relations, coining the term 'panda diplomacy'.
A hungry wild giant panda gets by with a little help from friendly villagers after getting stuck on a mountain cliff.
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