Panda cub dies in play area accident at Sichuan protection center

An eight-month-old giant panda cub has died from accidental strangulation at a Sichuan protection center.

The female cub, named Lulu, was playing in an outdoor area at the Shenshuping Base for giant pandas in Sichuan Province around 2am on Thursday when it became entangled in a rope and suffocated, said the China Conservation and Protection Center for the Giant Panda.

The center released a statement which read: "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Lulu which has exposed loopholes in our job, and we will learn lessons from this tragedy.

"We will re-evaluate the safety of objects placed in playgrounds for panda cubs, eliminate potential hazards and increase night patrols."

The center said a staff member on night patrol had assumed the cub was resting on the wooden structure.

Early on April 10, a breeder observed the area from a distance, but also failed to detect an issue.

The incident wasn’t discovered until the breeder entered the outdoor area around 9am and saw Lulu had been strangled. A vet confirmed the cub had been dead for some time.

Netizens were heartbroken by the incident and claimed the Center had been negligent. 

Lulu was born on August 10, 2019.