Panda with attitude bites zoo trespasser

BEIJING (Reuters) - A panda with a record of aggressive behavior attacked a man who jumped into its enclosure at a Beijing zoo to pick up a toy, local media said on Thursday.

The nine-year-old panda, Gugu, bit the man on his legs but was driven away by a zoo worker brandishing a broom, the Beijing Youth Daily said.

The man, who jumped into the enclosure to retrieve a toy dropped by a child, was taken to hospital and given a rabies shot, but his injuries were light, the report said.

This was not the first time Gugu has bitten somebody.

Twice before he has attacked people who climbed in to his cage, one of whom was drunk and the other who was simply curious, the newspaper added.

Scientists believe fewer than 2,000 giant pandas live in the wild in China.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie)