July 18, 2005 — A wild panda who ventured into a southwest Chinese city caused panic among residents who thought she was a thief before she was finally captured by firemen after a lengthy chase, state media said Monday.

The animal was found in the early hours on Saturday in Dujiangyan city in Sichuan province climbing over a fence and entering a housing estate, numerous media reports said.

Local residents at first thought she was a thief and alerted police.

More agile than most pandas in zoos or reserves, the animal hopped from roof to roof, evading residents who tried to capture it.

She was later seen in a river. After swimming two kilometers (1.24 miles), the panda climbed up a riverside tree to rest.

An anesthetist managed to shoot the bear with a tranquilizer. After it fell asleep, firemen climbed up the tree, tied the panda to a rope and lifted it down.

The endangered animals normally avoid people, preferring to live high in the mountainous bamboo forests, but the mountains around Dujiangyan city are a major habitat for the animals.

Panda experts interviewed by the Xinhua news agency said it might have been hunting for "Mr. Right" as she was of puberty age.

"Alternatively, she might have been driven by her mother away from home to lead an independent life," said Li Desen, a zoologist with the Wolong Giant Panda Research Center in Sichuan.

She also could have fallen into a river while searching for a habitat and was washed all the way into the city proper, Li said.

Doctors later found the panda suffered liver and kidney dysfunctions and had injured her paws.

She has not taken a bite of the fresh bamboo leaves and glucose her keepers have prepared for her.

"She's obviously scared during the adventure, but she's probably not feeling well either," Li said.

Researchers are interviewing eyewitnesses to determine where the panda came from, apparently in hopes of eventually returning her home.

There are only about 1,590 of the endangered species living in the wild, all in China. Another 161 have been raised in captivity.

Deforestation, development and poaching have contributed to their demise.

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Name: Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)
Primary Classification: Ursidae (Bears)
Location: The Sichuan, Gansu and Shanxi provinces in central China.
Habitat: Temperate bamboo forests.
Diet: Bamboo, almost exclusively.
Size: Up to 6 ft in length and 250 lbs in weight.
Description: Black fur on ears, eye patches, muzzle, legs and shoulders; white fur everywhere else; thick, woolly coat; broad, round face and flat nose; large molars; round, protruding ears; round body with short, sturdy limbs.
Cool Facts: Mothers will eat their cubs' stools to eliminate any evidence of their presence, thereby avoiding potential predators. They need to eat more than 22 lbs of bamboo per day to satisfy their daily requirement of nutrients.
Conservation Status: Endangered
Major Threat: Habitat loss and poaching.
What Can I Do?: Visit Pandas International, Smithsonian's National Zoo and The Hong Kong Society for Panda Conservation for information on how you can help.

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