Moment Edinburgh Zoo keeper escapes giant panda that was let into enclosure by mistake
The dramatic security lapse at the top attraction has been blamed on issues over staffing by disgruntled keepers, who claim the worker could have been killed.
THIS is the shocking moment an Edinburgh Zoo keeper flees to safety after a panda was mistakenly let back into its enclosure.
The dramatic security lapse at the top attraction has been blamed on issues over staffing by disgruntled keepers, who claim the worker could have been killed.
Despite their "cuddly" image, adult giant pandas can be as dangerous as black bears and there have been several serious attacks on zoo staff and visitors in recent years.
The picture from was taken last year and appears to show the enclosure of the male bear, Yang Guang.
The bear is just feet behind a female keeper who is making her way out of the door.
A brush can be seen discarded on the floor next to a bin full of debris, supporting claims the keeper was cleaning the enclosure when she was surprised by the bear.
Edinburgh Zoo insiders claimed in a leaked email to bosses that the institution is in "crisis", morale is at rock bottom, and that safety had been compromised.
It is even claimed that Yang Guang could have escaped into the public area of the zoo as a result of the security failure in 2016.
Edinburgh Council, which licenses the zoo, confirmed that the incident took place and that the zoo had "revised" its procedures.
MOST READ IN NEWS
And despite initially dismissing the entire content of the message as "scurrilous and unfounded", Edinburgh Zoo has admitted there had been a "near miss" with the panda.
A spokeswoman for the zoo said: "As the Council have indicated to you, staff reported a near miss within the panda enclosure last year.
"This was fully investigated and Edinburgh Council were kept informed throughout the process. No staff or animals were harmed during the incident."
Edinburgh Zoo is the second most popular paying visitor attraction in Scotland. It attracted 574,000 visitors in 2016 - but that was 10% down on the previous year.
Now it has emerged that disaffected staff complained about a "near-miss" with the panda and implied that it had been covered up.
The email stated: "We are...worried about the safety of staff. We have found out that there was a very serious near miss last year when a panda was let back into the enclosure with a keeper still cleaning in there and she could have been seriously injured or even have died.
"We got to hear about the near miss with the panda a while after it happened, just through rumour at first and then the keeper who experienced it went off sick and never came back.
"She heard it behind her just in time to be able to get out of the enclosure. If she hadn’t she could have been mauled, seriously injured or even killed.
"We also know that the panda could have escaped into the public area of the zoo. Are we going to wait for a disaster to happen before things change at the zoo?"
The zoo refused to comment on the other contents of the email except to claim that it contained "inaccuracies".
A spokesman for Edinburgh Council said: “The council was notified about the incident and as a result the zoo has reviewed and revised procedures.”
Giant Pandas can be particularly dangerous inside their enclosures which they regard as territory to defend. Three visitors to Beijing Zoo were mauled between 2006 and 2009 after falling or jumping into Giant Panda enclosures.
In 2011, a Giant Panda bit a member of staff at San Diego Zoo in California.
We pay for your stories and videos! Do you have a story or video for The Scottish Sun Online? Email us at [email protected] or call