If you’ve been to Zoo Negara, you’re likely familiar with the two giant pandas, Liang Liang and Xing Xing. The pair were loaned to Malaysia by China to commemorate 40 years of diplomatic relations between the two nations. Together, they’ve become parents to three cubs: Nuan Nuan, Sheng Yi, and Yi Yi.
The first cub, Nuan Nuan, returned to China in 2018 after turning three and has since been living at the Dujiangyan Panda Base. Many have wondered how she’s been doing since leaving Malaysia, but no one could have anticipated her displaying such aggressive behaviour. That said, it didn’t happen without reason. Here’s what unfolded:
Pandas are often seen as lovable, cuddly, and clumsy creatures, so who would have thought they could go into beast mode? Yesterday (Thursday, 10th July), a video surfaced online showing Nuan Nuan attacking a peacock that had wandered into her enclosure, as guests looked on through the glass window. According to reports, the free-roaming peafowl had been provoking the panda in an apparent attempt to assert dominance.
Irritated by the bird’s disturbance, Nuan Nuan decided to teach it a lesson by attacking, chasing, and plucking its feathers as the peacock desperately tried to escape the enclosure. The incident has since gone viral, with many expressing surprise at how aggressive and fast the usually gentle panda appeared. Malaysians, on the other hand, found the whole episode rather amusing.
Many joked that Nuan Nuan was displaying “gangster” behaviour, even referring to her as a “budak Ampang“, a playful nod to her time spent at Zoo Negara in Ampang, an area often associated with cheeky stereotypes and stories of local mischief. Others quipped that this wasn’t quite how they hoped a Malaysian-born panda would represent the country in China. Naturally, netizens also likened the incident to a live-action adaptation of “Kung Fu Panda 2”, where the hero, Po the Panda, goes head-to-head with Lord Shen the Peacock.
Luckily, the peacock survived the attack, though we can’t say the same for its tail features. As for Nuan Nuan, she was seen playing with one of the peacock’s feathers in her paws, as seen in the screenshots above. Let’s hope the current caretakers take the necessary steps to ensure this kind of incident doesn’t happen again. After all, we wouldn’t want visiting children witnessing a much darker version of the “Kung Fu Panda 2” ending.
Watch the viral clip below:
