WASHINGTON, Oct 3 — Chomping peacefully on a fruitsicle cake in her grassy Washington zoo enclosure Mei Xiang is blissfully unaware that she and a handful of other cute pandas...
WASHINGTON, Oct 3 — Chomping peacefully on a fruitsicle cake in her grassy Washington zoo enclosure Mei Xiang is blissfully unaware that she and a handful of other cute pandas are at the center of a ferocious misinformation campaign driving anti-US sentiment in China.
In multiple posts on Chinese platforms including Weibo and Douyin, a video fuelled the narrative that Mei Xiang was abused by the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington DC and made to undergo a painful artificial insemination procedure dozens of times. In other posts on the same platforms, an image purported to show Mei Xiang’s mate, Tian Tian, sedated and restrained during an examination.
Last week, AFP journalists in Washington saw Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, seemingly healthy and devouring frozen treats in their enclosures as the zoo hosted a nine-day “Panda Palooza” celebration with panda-themed refreshments, film screenings and music concerts. Many also blamed the zoo for the death of Ya Ya’s mate, Le Le, with accusations swirling online — despite no evidence — that zookeepers had stabbed the bear and sold his eyeball.
Amid tense relations between the two biggest economies over issues such as Taiwan, US observers say the Chinese government appears keen to condone and encourage anti-American sentiment.