BEIJING, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Beijing Zoo has reassured worried fans that the "baldness" of its star panda Fu Xing was just a result of too much playful rolling on the ground.
Panda lovers recently noticed a tonsure on the head of the 3-year-old panda, which resembled spot baldness. It quickly developed into a hot topic on China's social media.
Zhang Chenglin, the deputy curator of the zoo, said zoologists and dentists have examined the endangered bear and concluded that the loss of hair was not caused by injuries or infections.
Instead, the frisky bear has developed a habit of rolling since June this year. The bald spot is a protruded point of the panda skull, which is prone to abrading, according to Zhang.
The zoo has planned to add facilities and training as distractions for the black-and-white star, and keepers will increase interaction to wean Fu Xing off the rolling habit.
The good news at present is that the hair has started to grow again on the bald part of the panda, Zhang said.