Visitors take pictures at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, March 22, 2023. Photo:Xinhua

Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province has banned a tourist from visiting the base for a year after she threw water at a panda during a visit on Monday. 

The woman, surnamed Gao, 45, threw water at a giant panda and upset it during her visit at the research base’s panda valley on Monday, according to a statement released by the Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding on Monday night. A member of staff stopped her and criticized her behavior, according to the statement. 

Gao has been banned from visiting the research base for a year due to her uncivil behavior during her visit, said the research base. 

After an inspection and observation by the keepers, the giant panda was found to be in a normal physical condition and in a stable mood. 

The research base said it will continue to pay attention to the physical condition of each giant panda to ensure their health and safety, while urging tourists to cherish the pandas and take care of these “national treasures.”

Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding is one of the major panda breeding bases in China and also a popular tourist site. Fifteen giant panda cubs were born in 2022 at the research base, bringing the number of giant pandas at the base to 237. The average annual growth rate of the captive giant panda population has increased to 12.2 percent thanks to scientific and technological breakthroughs.