This trending video shows a hilarious moment: When an earthquake hit in Sichuan Province, southwest China, on December 9, two giant pandas immediately dropped their food and began climbing a tree. It only took the pandas five seconds to get to their treetop "safe haven." The scene amused many Chinese netizens, who are surprised to see the lazy, slow pandas becoming so quick and agile. Many people joked that "they are just so desperate to survive the disaster!"
The two giant pandas, Zhenxi and Jingliang, are both two years old. They live at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan Province. According to the panda keeper, the 4.6 earthquake did not affect the pandas. The two little fellas are doing fine now.
So, why did they reacted so quickly in the moment? Experts say that giant pandas are a species of bear, which means they have keen senses and excellent mobility. When in danger, they are driven by an "emergency instinct" and able to act very fast. Pandas living in the wild may quickly climb trees if threatened. However, the earthquake may not be the main reason for Zhenxi and Jingliang's funny reaction as there is no scientific evidence proving that giant pandas are particularly sensitive to earthquakes.
(Cover photo is a still from the video, edited by An Qi)
(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at nature@cgtn.com)