Tourists filmed throwing rocks at giant panda in zoo

A disturbing video has gone viral on social media this week, which shows cruel tourists throwing rocks at a giant panda in a zoo.

The footage, which was allegedly filmed in the Chinese capital city of Beijing, shows visitors at the zoo hurling rocks and other painful missiles at the sleeping herbivorous animal in an attempt to wake her up.

The bear, whose name is allegedly Meng Da, is apparently not badly hurt by the incident in question, but may have been left badly frightened by the harassment she endured at the hands of humans.

The video was filmed by shocked onlookers who were appalled by the behaviour of those throwing the stones. After recording it, the witnesses to the crime uploaded the footage to the Chinese social media site Weibo, where it quickly managed to accrue thousands of views.

Giant panda bears, a once critically-endangered species, have been considered the national animal of China for some time. In the past, pandas were thought to be rare and noble creatures, and the Empress Dowager Bo, the consort of Gaozu of Han was buried with a panda skull in her vault after her death. 

Pandas are often assumed to be docile, harmless creatures, due to their bamboo-based diet. However, just because they're not meat-eaters, that doesn't mean it's a good idea to antagonise them, and they have been known to attack humans who have needlessly victimised them.

For example, back in 2007, a Chinese teenager was left hospitalised after being attacked by a bear. The 15-year-old climbed into the panda enclosure, startling a 240lbs female named Gu Gu, who subsequently bit his legs. The bear was not harmed afterwards, and the boy was rushed to a nearby hospital.