Panda home after alleged mistreatment

A giant panda named Weiwei returned to Sichuan province on Wednesday night after allegedly being mistreated by a keeper at the Wuhan Zoo in Hubei province.

The keeper, who has been suspended by the zoo, was seen in a video smoking and washing while attending Weiwei. The video went viral online and aroused people's concerns about the panda's health, Beijing News reported on Wednesday.

Other pictures and videos posted by netizens showed the keeper feeding Weiwei an ant-infested apple, and Weiwei's nose was turning white and its palms and genitals were losing fur, the newspaper said. The zoo said on Tuesday that it had suspended the keeper and would strengthen management of its staff. Considering that a new panda hall under construction would disturb the panda's living environment, it decided to send Weiwei home to Sichuan.