Farmer 'fortunate' to be bitten by panda

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NANYUE, China, March 19 (UPI) -- Liu Yunkang, a farmer in China's Sichuan province, says she considers being bitten by a wild panda a fortunate accident.

Liu, thinking the panda may have been injured, was bitten as she and another farmer tried to guide the animal down a mountain so villagers could help it, China Daily reported Monday.

The panda became nervous, turned and bit Liu's left leg when she got a bit too close and touched the animal on its head Friday. The panda then lumbered into a nearby forest.

"I am fortunate to have been bitten by China's national treasure that people from around the world come a long way to see," the 59-year-old Nanyue farmer said.

A check at a clinic indicated the wound was made by two teeth and was not serious.

"And I used to think pandas were docile," Liu said.

Not quite, Zhao Zhilong, bureau chief of the Longxi-Hongkou animal preserve, told China Daily. Pandas can be very powerful when attacked.

"They can kill a sheep with their bite," Zhao said. "In Liu Yunkang's case, the panda was very tender."

Judging by the bite, Zhao said the panda likely was an adolescent.