SINGAPORE — Singapore-born giant panda Le Le, who returned to China in 2024, is now living a solitary existence after getting into a brawl with one of his enclosure mates.

The incident occurred on April 18, at the rotund bear's new home in the Dujiangyan Panda Base, a panda conservation centre in Chengdu, China.

In a video uploaded by the conservation centre on Chinese social media platform Weibo, Le Le is seen tussling with a younger panda in the enclosure. The centre identifies the other panda as Qing Zai.

The playful fight soon escalates, however, and the bears are seen throwing paws and growling aggressively at each other.

In an attempt to break up the fight, zookeepers try to throw bamboo — the pandas' favourite snack — into the enclosure, but the brawling animals pay no heed.

The fight eventually ends when Le Le climbs up a tree in the enclosure, taking refuge amid its branches until Qing Zai is led away by zookeepers.

The two pandas have since been separated to prevent future fights, the base said on Weibo.

It added that Le Le had sustained minor scratches and skin injuries from the fight, but otherwise suffered no serious injuries.

Le Le was born on Aug 14, 2021, the first giant panda to be born in Singapore.

He left Singapore in January 2024, in keeping with the terms of China's panda loan agreement, which mandates that cubs born in foreign countries should be returned to China at age two.

Prior to his return, the cub spent two years in Mandai Wildlife Group's River Wonders park, where he shared an exhibit with his parents, Kai Kai and Jia Jia.

After visitors bid him goodbye, and a quarantine period of over a month, the panda was returned to China.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.