Wild panda caught chowing down in village cornfield

A wild giant panda eats cornstalk in a harvested field in Baoxing county of Sichuan province on November 14. Photo: West China City Daily/Gao Xuanqiang

A young Sichuan province farmer showed good humor upon discovering that a pudgy wild panda had turned a cornfield into an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Gao Xuanqiang rushed to the field in Zhonggang village, Baoxing county after hearing a giant panda was raiding the cornfield midday on November 14.

"The panda suddenly caught sight of me," said the 29-year-old. "It looked plump and behaved just like Po in the movie Kung Fu Panda. I nearly burst into laughter."

The surprised explained the panda observed his cautious approach with a calm, blank stare. Gao then snapped photos from one-meter away with his cell phone as the chubby dinner guest continued to crunch away on corn stalks.

The panda returned to its mountain home after a half-hour of crop munching.

According to county forestry authorities, it is common to see wild pandas descending from the mountains in search of food.

UNESCO honored Baoxing county as part of the "Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries - Wolong, Mt Siguniang and Jiajin Mountain" in 2006 for its population of pandas. The area was hit with a devastating earthquake in April 2013.