16 March,2015 12:53 PM IST | | PTI
A Chinese man has been awarded USD 83,000 in compensation over an attack by a wild panda last year that left him with serious injuries
Beijing: A Chinese man has been awarded USD 83,000 in compensation over an attack by a wild panda last year that left him with serious injuries.
Guan Zhiquan was compensated after he sued the local government officials over the attack on March 1, 2014. The animal wandered into Liziba village, in the northwestern province of Gansu, where local officials trying to capture it chased it onto Guan's land, Global Times reported.
Panda bit Guan in the leg and only released its grip when another villager covered its head with a coat. However, Guan is still unable to walk on his right leg despite undergoing eight rounds of surgery to repair the bone and tissue damage. Doctors may be forced to amputate, the report said. The mounting medical bills drove Guan's son to begin the family's extensive battle for compensation from the local wildlife bureau.
Ji Hong, a lawyer handling Guan's case, argued that officials from the Baishuijiang National Nature Reserve were at fault for the injury because they had ordered the panda to be captured.
According to the wildlife conservation law, local and provincial forestry bureaus are responsible for the management of wild pandas, Ji explained.
Following 'negotiations', officials agreed to pay compensation of 520,000 yuan (USD 83,000).
