Dance music of dama irritates pandas, giraffes  

南京一动物园熊猫“心律不齐” 大妈广场舞惹祸

(ECNS)-- Chinese dancing dama who blast loud and irritating music have encroached on a zoo in Nanjing, torturing animals and forcing them to stay indoors.

A group of dama were spotted dancing at a public square outside the Hongshan Forest Zoo in Nanjing on Monday morning, with loud music coming from their speakers. Meanwhile, a gaggle of dama and some men were singing loudly from a hill in the zoo, the Modern Express said.

Such a mix of loud noise can be heard from the panda house, which is just on the side of the hill. Zhaoyang, a 4-year-old panda, stayed indoors, while its companion Haohao played outside.

"Every time I came to the zoo, I heard the noise," a citizen who lives near the zoo said, adding that she worried about the health of the pandas. Netizens even joked that the pandas might have arrhythmia[irregular heartbeat or heart rhythm] due to the nuisance.

In June, experts from Ya'an panda base launched an inspection tour of all pandas in zoos nationwide. "The panda pair has no arrhythmia, but noise does have an impact," said Shen Zhijun, head of the Hongshan Forest Zoo.

"We found Zhaoyang tends to be restless, with rapid breathing and rapid heartbeat, when the noise came in." The panda paces in the room and refuses to go out, as the wall is soundproofed, Shen said, adding that experts suggest a quiet living space.

Besides pandas, giraffes that are sensitive in nature stay inside unless it needs fresh air, and hornbills are also irritated by the noise, he added.

Shen said they have tried to discourage the dama group from dancing and singing at the zoo, but to no avail.

Public dancing, or guangchangwu, with loud music has become a national controversy in recent years.

Days before, almost 1,000 dancers in Weiyang district in Xi'an, the capital city of Shaanxi province, promised they will only gather to dance between 7 am and 9 pm, and keep the music volume under 60 decibels, according to news.hexun.com.

Chinese 'dama' dance like anti-Japanese soldiers in Beijing

A group of Chinese women wearing sailor's striped shirts dance on a square outside a shopping mall in Beijing’s Dongcheng district on June 29, 2014.