Panda attacks teenager at zoo

A male panda at the Beijing Zoo that was once bitten by a drunk tourist has attacked a teenager, ripping chunks out of the boy's legs, officials and a Chinese newspaper said today.

The 15-year-old had jumped over a 4ft 7in barrier surrounding an outdoor exercise area for pandas yesterday afternoon while eight-year-old Gu Gu the panda and another bear were being fed, said the director of the zoo management office, who identified himself only by his surname, Zhang.

The teen startled the 17-stone panda, who responded by biting the unwanted visitor on both legs, Zhang said.

The Beijing News identified the teen as Li Xitao, citing emergency medical officials who said he was so viciously attacked that his bones were showing.

Chunks of flesh were left behind in the ambulance, they said.

Gu Gu was in the news last year when he was bitten by a drunk tourist. The man jumped into the bear's pen and tried to hug him, but was bitten instead.

The tourist retaliated by biting the bear in the back. While pandas have an image of being cute, they are wild animals that also can be violent when provoked or startled.