S'pore-born Le Le fights with another panda in China, climbs tree & refuses to go down

Giant panda Le Le, who was born in Singapore, was apparently involved in a fight with another giant panda recently.

The fight reportedly took place on Apr. 18, according to 8World News.

Videos of the incident circulating on social media showed Le Le and Qing Zai playing, before the exchange escalated into a more physical altercation with the two pandas biting and pinning each other down.

Their keeper reportedly tried to divert their attention by throwing bamboo shoots, to no avail.

Le Le later fled the fight by climbing up a tree and did not come down for a long time.

@ara_wonderland Semalam Lele & Qingzai bergaduh besar. Pergaduhan mereka sangat menakutkan. The fight became so intense that they started hurting each other. Naipa pun tidak dapat meleraikan pergaduhan mereka. Masing2 ketakutan, Lele berlari panjat pokok. Qingzai dipanggil masuk ke inner room. Mereka cedera ringan. Harini, base ambil keputusan untuk pisahkan mereka, QingZai pindah ke kawasan bukan pameran. #panda #大熊猫 #chongqingzoo ♬ original sound - Ara 🦋

A separation

The incident was witnessed by local panda fans who were at Dujiangyan Panda Base in Chengdu, China, where Le Le is staying.

They said Le Le and Qing Zai are good friends and would usually play around, but this was the most intense fight to have occurred between the two bears.

The fight had left Le Le with skin injuries and scratches, but nothing serious, according to the keeper.

The giant panda conservation centre said on Weibo that they have decided to raise Le Le and Qing Zai in separate enclosures after a comprehensive assessment.

Le Le still lives in the original enclosure, while Qing Zai was moved to a non-exhibition area.

However, according to a panda fan, Le Le was not on display on Apr. 19 and 20.

The keeper said this was to prevent Le Le from being exposed to water on hot days, which could affect its wounds.

Le Le

Born on Aug. 14, 2021, Le Le was the first giant panda cub to be born in Singapore.

Giant pandas are notoriously difficult to breed.

As part of an agreement with China, foreign-born cubs need to return home at around two years old to improve conservation efforts.

Le Le arrived safely in Chengdu, China, on Jan. 16, 2024.

He made his first public appearance at Dujiangyan Panda Base in the same month.

Top image via 珈嘉乐叻1801/Weibo and ara_wonderland/TikTok