Panda cub bites off part of American visitor's thumb during feeding

BEIJING (AP) - A panda cub bit off part of the thumb of an American who was feeding the animal at a reserve in southwest China, state media reported Thursday. The 50-year-old woman, identified only as Lisa, had registered in the Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Center in Sichuan province as a volunteer, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

She was wearing gloves and feeding the panda bamboo on Tuesday morning when "suddenly, the panda bit into her thumb," Xinhua said.

"When she cried out, the cub became excited and gripped more tightly," it said. "Lisa finally managed to wrench herself free."

About 20 per cent of the thumb had been bitten off, Xinhua said.

A man who answered the telephone at the centre's administrative office said it had no comment.

The centre has been recruiting volunteers since 2004 for stints that last from one day to more than a month, Zhang Hemin, the centre's director, was quoted as saying. They can prepare food, feed pandas under supervision and clear the enclosure with the help of professional keepers, he said.

More than 1,200 volunteers from America, Japan, Switzerland, France and Spain have worked in the centre, Xinhua said.

Last month, a drunken Chinese tourist bit a panda at the Beijing Zoo after the animal attacked him when he jumped into the enclosure and tried to hug it.

© The Canadian Press, 2006