Fu Xing Photo: The Beijing News Sina Weibo account

There are no small matters when it comes to pandas in China, even if it is a tonsure on a panda's head.

Chinese netizens flooded on to social media platforms on Tuesday to express worries as media reported that a 3-year-old panda named Fu Xing in the Beijing Zoo is suffering from a tonsure on his head for an unclear reason. 

The tonsure is about the size of two one-yuan coins, according to a video on The Beijing News Sina Weibo account. The diameter of a one-yuan coin is 25 millimeters.

The zoo has used medicines on the panda, and new hair had started to grow again. Zookeepers also arranged two experts to further check the problem, the Beijing Daily reported on Tuesday, after the panda's baldness became a hot topic on social media platforms suspending tens of thousands of panda lovers' hearts for worry.  

But the reason for the tonsure on Fu Xing's head is still unknown, media reported citing the zoo.  

Zhang Chenglin, director of the Beijing Zoo, told the Beijing Daily that they had noted the problem for a while and had taken measures including body checks, house checks and some other preventive measures.

Zoologists will analyze the results thoroughly and release the conclusion as soon as possible, Zhang said. 

There are various reasons that could lead animals to lose hair, such as abrasions and friction, fungal infection or some diseases, Sun Quanhui, a scientist from World Animal Protection, told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

If new hair starts to grow again after the use of medicine as the zoo said, it is probably a disease that caused Fu Xing's baldness, Sun said. 

"I understand that there is nothing small about our national treasures, but it is really normal for animals to encounter problems or get ill, just like humans, there is no need to worry too much," said Sun, trying to ease public concerns.     

Panda's hair usually regrows twice a year - one in summer and another before the winter. This could also lead to natural hair loss, according to experts.

But Fu Xing's fans are seemingly unsatisfied with either the zoo's or the experts' explanation as they complained on Weibo that they had noticed the problem on the panda's head as early as June.

According to posts on Weibo, some fans noticed that Fu Xing rolled and rubbed on the floor very often; in July, lesions appeared on the animal's  head and back. 

Fans said that they reported the problem to the zoo at that time but the zoo told them the lesions were caused during rolling with skin disease being ruled out. 

They also said that they had suggested the zoo to interfere to prevent Fu Xing from forming the stereotypic behavior but the zoo was slow to act until the problem was revealed by media recently. 

"It is the zoo's inaction that finally led to Fu Xing's baldness," commented a Weibo user.

Zhang Jingshuo, a senior engineer from the Institute of Zoology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the Beijing Daily, Fu Xing's rolling around is more like an act to attract the feeder's attention rather than pointless stereotypic behavior.   

She suggests for feeders to use food or toys to distract Fu Xing to adjust the behavior.