I can’t bear to be alone! Very needy panda refuses to let zookeeper go and desperately clings to his leg
- Baby Fu Bao was filmed clinging to her keeper’s leg at Everland Zoo, South Korea
- The video has been watched 4million times and received 7000 comments
- Fu Bao was born last year to mother Ai Bao, seven, and father Le Bao, eight
- Parents were loaned to Seoul for five years as part of China’s ‘panda diplomacy’
A very needy panda has been filmed desperately clinging to a zookeeper’s leg in South Korea.
The footage of six-month-old Fu Bao wrapping her arms needily around the keeper’s legs has gone viral with over four million people watching it on YouTube since it was posted last month.
Members of the public have been able to see baby Fu Bao, who is the first Chinese giant panda born in South Korea, since January at Everland Zoo in Yongin, a region 25 miles southeast of Seoul.
Everland has been posting adorable videos of the cub on their social media channels since she was born in July last year.
The most recent video, which has been commented on seven thousand times, shows the cub gripping on to the keeper’s trousers and being swept across the floor as he moves to do his tasks.
Six-month-old baby giant panda Fu Bao can be seen gripping desperately to a zookeeper’s leg in South Korea as he carries out his daily tasks
After weighing the 10kg panda, the zookeeper hoists her over his leg, at the Everland Zoo in Yongin, South Korea
The keeper then weighs 10kg Fu Bao on a scale in front of a pile of bamboo shoots, and hoists her over his leg.
As the keeper gently directs Fu Bao towards the ground, she slides down his leg and doesn’t let go.
After many attempts to uncoil her strong arms, the keeper finally manages to separate with Fu Bao, who then rolls back on the floor.
Fu Bao was born on July 20 last year to seven-year-old female Ai Bao and eight-year-old male Le Bao.
Shortly after her birth she needed veterinary care but has since recovered.
Despite the zookeeper’s best attempts, he is unable to unlatch the baby giant panda from his leg
Fu Bao was born in July last year to parents who were temporarily loaned to Seoul as part of China’s ‘panda diplomacy’
The parents, from China’s Sichuan province, the home of giant pandas, were given to South Korea in 2016 in a ‘panda diplomacy’ agreement during a summit between Beijing and Seoul.
China usually leases their pandas to foreign countries as diplomatic gifts on five-year terms.
According to Beijing’s policy, all cubs born to pandas on loan overseas belong to China and would need to return to the country.
It’s rare for panda’s to be born without an accompanying visit of Chinese officials. The officials were unable to oversee the birth last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
After her arms are finally unlatched from the keeper’s legs, Fu Bao rolls on the floor, at the Everland Zoo in South Korea
The cub’s name was drawn from 50,000 suggestions made by the South Korean public, but the zoo settled on Fu Bao, which means ‘a treasure that brings happiness’.
In November last year, K-pop girl group Blackpink, caused outrage in Korea and China when they released a promotional video showing themselves petting and touching the then three-month-old and an adult panda.
According to social media users on China’s Twitter equivalent, Weibo, no one other than trained professionals should be allowed contact with a newborn panda cub.
They accused the girl group, who didn’t wear gloves or masks, of endangering the pandas’ health as they could unknowingly pass on diseases.