A panda at the Chengdu Giant Panda Research and Breeding Base is now in the record books for busting the breed’s cute ‘n cuddly stereotype. The panda, named Cheng Gong, went against type on May 4 by mauling and killing a feral cat that had ventured into its feeding area. A keeper, Yang Cheng described Cheng Gong’s normal behavior as “sometimes daring and agile” but generally docile and added that the panda probably felt the cat was a threat to its territory.

“Giant pandas are extremely territorial, both in captivity and in the wild,” he said. “The cat apparently run into Cheng Gong’s ‘playground’ and was killed in self-defense.”

There were panda-sized bite and claw wounds on the dead cat’s body, but no evidence that Cheng Gong had taken the next step of abandoning his bamboo shoot diet for fresh feline flesh.

Chengdu Business Daily