The now-viral video, shot at the Giant Panda Research Center in southwest China, is fairly disturbing

Nov 25, 2014 12:41 GMT  ·  By

Not long ago, a video showing a zookeeper abusing a panda cub hit the online community, and not at all surprisingly, it ended up causing quite a commotion.

The footage, available below, was shot at a wildlife park in China. It shows a panda cub approaching two men and being hit by one of them on several occasions.

Apparently, the man only beat the young panda looking to discipline the creature. However, word has it that, following this incident, hundreds of people lashed out at the wildlife center and at the keeper.

What exactly happened at this wildlife park?

It is understood that the video was shot at the Giant Panda Research Center in southwest China. The two men featured in it are both currently employed as zookeepers at this facility.

By the looks of it, the man caught on camera beating the panda cub was trying to teach the other zookeeper how to handle such animals. More precisely, he was showing him how to keep pandas at a distance.

Hence, when the young panda approached the pair of them, most likely hoping to be stroked, the more experienced zookeeper simply hit the animal over the head. The panda made a few attempts to get close to them again, but eventually gave up.

They're allowed to beat pandas in China, kind of

Shortly after the footage showing the man beating the panda hit the public eye and went viral, the Giant Panda Research Center ended up making headlines. Looking to defend the zookeeper, the park released a statement explaining his behavior.

“Our keepers often get hurt by pandas even if they don't mean to cause harm. Pandas' claws and teeth can be very harmful. Keepers are told that they should gently hit the panda's ear or nose to make them go away,” the folks in charge of running the Giant Panda Research Center said.

The good news is that, since the man featured in this viral video clearly didn't settle for just gently touching the panda's ear or nose, the wildlife park has agreed to take action against him.

Thus, the man, whose identity has not yet been made public, was suspended not long after news about his behavior towards pandas reached the public, TVNZ informs. An investigation is ongoing and many hope that the zookeeper will not be allowed to go back to interacting with panda bears.

“Please stop it and please take good care of them. Don't break the hearts of panda fans again,” a panda lover by the name Jasmine-Guiguibupani wrote in a post on Chinese social media site Weibo.

Zookeeper caught on camera hitting a panda cub (6 Images)

Panda bears are native to south and central China
Panda bears chiefly snack on bambooHowever, they sometimes eat birds or rodents
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