Snapshots of tourists hurling fruit at a sleeping baby panda at a Sichuan Province reserve have awoken the wrath of social media users, who are calling for better protection of the popular animal.
Panda cub Xiao Huihui was napping in a nursery at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding on Thursday when it received a rude awakening from a flying fig.
The panda appears visibly upset with claws spread after the fruit landed near its head, a photo posted by Sina Weibo user "Guiyulin" shows.
Harassment is an ongoing problem at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, where security guards routinely stop tourists from throwing objects, shouting and clapping at pandas to provoke a response, media reported.
"Visitors often whistle and clap to get a response from pandas when they stop moving," a guard told Chengdu Business Daily Thursday. "They'll throw apples, pears and sometimes even rocks," the guard said.
Netizens pointed out a lack of clear specific rules or regulations in place at the center forbidding such behavior.
"A blacklist should be made to prevent such tourists from getting tickets to any other attractions," wrote a Weibo user.
