Man Bitten After Trying to Feed Bear at Infamous Badaling Park
By Justine Lopez
Badaling Wildlife Park is making headlines yet again. This time around a man was actually bit by a black bear after he rolled down his car window and attempted to feed the animal. The park specifically and clearly warns visitors to never roll down their windows or exit their vehicles, but this is not the first time a visitor has broken the rules.
READ MORE: Woman Mauled to Death by Tiger at Beijing Wildlife Park
The incident occurred last Friday when a man, surnamed Chen, cracked his car window to feed a black bear in one of the park’s notorious safari-like exhibits. According to Chen, he wanted a friend to take a photo of him feeding the bear. (As you can see from the photo above, his friend did get the shot.)
However, when Chen tried to roll the window back up something went wrong and it rolled down instead.
Surveillance footage shows the bear leaning into the open window. Park employees ultimately chased the bear away from the car, allowing Chen to drive away.
While Chen did escape with only minor injuries, he did sustain a bite on his left arm. The park ensured that Chen’s injuries were properly cleaned and instructed him to go to the hospital.
Local authorities are now demanding that the park make "immediate rectifications," BBC reports. Badaling Wildlife World must work to improve safety awareness, limit the number of visitors and improve surveillance and security.
This is not the first time Badaling Wildlife World has been caught up in controversy over their safari-like exhibits. Last year, a tiger attack at the park left one woman dead and one other severely injured after the two exited their vehicle in the Siberian tiger exhibit. In February of this year, a group of bears surrounded a vehicle and tried to paw their way inside through an open window. And just last month a driver had a close encounter with a bear after he attempted to feed it.
[Images via BBC]
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