Two convicted for spreading fake “panda abuse” rumors. Photo: web

 
With their round bodies, black-and-white fur, and endearing antics, Chinese giant pandas have captivated fans worldwide. However, some individuals, seeking popularity and illegal profits, have targeted these beloved creatures.

According to reports on Wednesday, between May and June 2024, police in Chengdu and Panzhihua, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, cracked multiple cases involving fabricated rumors about pandas being abused, arresting dozens of key suspects, including Bai, sparking widespread public attention.

Recently, the People's Court of Dujiangyan City, Sichuan, held a public trial for defendants Bai and Xu on charges of picking quarrels and provoking trouble, sentencing them to one year and six months and one year and two months in prison, respectively.

The court found that from March 2023 to May 2024, Bai and Xu, aiming to boost their popularity and profit financially, spread false information on a social media platform through livestreams and short videos.

They fabricated and disseminated rumors that a research institution and its staff were abusing pandas and exploiting them for profit, as well as falsely claiming that employees had been arrested for misconduct. These actions incited netizens to harass, report, and verbally abuse the institution and the staff, disrupting normal operations and severely affecting the work and lives of those involved.

According to police investigations, under the guise of "protecting pandas," Bai and others frequently organized offline gatherings to harass the institution. Meanwhile, as a self-media blogger, Bai crafted a specific persona, amassing traffic by persistently spreading false accusations and even misappropriating donations from panda fans under various pretexts. Through livestreaming and other means, Bai profited nearly 200,000 yuan ($27,915), much of which came from deceived followers' donations.