Wild panda roams into village in SW China’s Sichuan

A wild panda forages on a corn field in Yuping village in Ebian Yi Autonomous County, Leshan city, southwest China’s Sichuan province. (Photo/leshan.cn)

A wild panda surprisingly wandered onto a corn field in a village in Leshan city, southwest China’s Sichuan province on Sept. 4, according to local residents.

The panda was found by several children in Yuping village, Lewu township of the province’s Ebian Yi autonomous county. When it was discovered, the panda was picking through corn and foraging on the field.

Experts from Chengdu, capital city of Sichuan, conducted a health check and provided first aid for the panda the next morning, and found that it has severely worn teeth and age-related diseases. The panda had lost sight in its left eye and suffered vision impairment in its right eye. They estimated that the animal is at least 18 years old, which is considered an old age for pandas living in the wild. Due to limited treatment options, the experts decided to send the panda to a professional rescue center for further examination.