"Hearing a sound behind me, I turned around and found a giant panda drinking water over there." said Yong Maoshi, a tourist from Nanchong, who could hardly contain her excitement on Aug. 12 as she recalled her close encounter with a giant panda in Tangjiahe two days earlier.

"It was extremely close, probably only about 20 meters away." On the afternoon of Aug. 10, near Panmuting Pavilion at the foot of Motianling Mountain, Yong was sitting and resting when a rustling sound behind her prompted her to turn around instinctively — a wild giant panda was crouching on a rock by the stream, intently drinking water. She noticed that the panda's fur was soaking wet, adding, "I guess it had been there before I arrived and had even been playing in the water."

A wild giant panda photographed by tourist Yong Maoshi

Overcome with excitement, she quickly raised her phone to capture the moment, but unexpectedly managed to snap only one photo before the battery died and the device shut down automatically. "The phone powered off just as I was about to record a video." she said during a phone interview, her tone tinged with regret.

During this trip, she and her family stayed in Qingxi Ancient Town for three days, originally intending to climb Motianling Mountain to escape the summer heat. They did not expect to have an unexpected encounter with a wild giant panda on a trail frequently used by tourists, as there were not many visitors on the mountain path at the time. "We also came across monkeys, squirrels, and muntjacs during this vacation," she said, noting that Tangjiahe had given her many pleasant surprises.

The Management Office of the Tangjiahe Section of the Giant Panda National Park has received the information shared by the tourist.

"This sighting of a giant panda drinking from a stream represents normal water-seeking behavior for a wild giant panda. Judging from its size and posture, it appears to be a very healthy adult individual," said Xiao Mei, head of the Scientific Research and Monitoring Division of the management office. She explained that the location where the panda appeared is at an altitude of 1,800 meters, an area with favorable water resources and abundant distribution of staple bamboo species such as Qingchuan arrow bamboo, providing suitable conditions for giant panda habitation and activity.

Moving forward, the Management Office of the Tangjiahe Section of the Giant Panda National Park will use this observation site as a focal point to strengthen transect patrols and infrared camera monitoring in the area, continuously tracking population dynamics. Meanwhile, the section will adhere to the principle of distant, silent observation to avoid human disturbance, conduct thorough risk assessments regarding human-wildlife safety, and consolidate the effectiveness of giant panda habitat protection through scientific management.

【本文部分内容由AI辅助生成，特此声明。The author(s) generated part of the content in this work with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI), which is hereby declared.】