No non-staff have entered panda enclosure; officials deny latest rumors

It has been verified that no non-staff members have entered the breeding park to pat, feed or take photos of the giant panda Fu Bao, the national giant panda conservation and research center said Saturday in response to related online rumors.

This statement was released following a series of photos and videos of Fu Bao were leaked and circulated across China's social media platforms. The center said it was verified that the latest photos of Fu Bao were taken by a photographer without permission and that the base had reported the case to the police.

The Shenshuping base in Wolong National Nature Reserve, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, where Fu Bao now lives, is equipped with windows for communication between the adjacent hutches, which are conducive to the faster integration of Fu Bao into the base's giant panda population, according to the statement.

The breeding management space also facilitates the keepers to observe and take care of Fu Bao, to communicate with the lovely animal to build trust and reduce stress.

The base plans to transfer Fu Bao to the open area in the near future based on the current adaptation of the giant panda, and then meet the public when Fu Bao has fully adapted to her new surroundings, according to the statement.

Fu Bao is the first giant panda that was born in South Korea to Le Bao and Ai Bao, the pandas leased by China to South Korea in 2016.

The national giant panda conservation and research center also denied on Friday allegations that China lacks supervision over pandas living abroad, clarifying that it has clear requirements on the capacity of foreign cooperation agencies that host giant pandas.