This video shows giant panda Katyusha happily munching bamboo in her enclosure at the Moscow Zoo while her keeper speaks to her off-camera.
The footage was recorded in Moscow, Russia, and posted online by zoo director Svetlana Akulova on 1st July.
The clip shows Katyusha seated comfortably while stripping and eating bamboo stalks.
@svetlanaakulova1/Clipzilla/NX
Her keeper, known as Uncle Igor, can be heard speaking to her in the background, and fans online commented on their evident bond, noting how the bear appeared to respond to his voice.
Although giant pandas like Katyusha have powerful jaws and sharp canine teeth, they do not eat meat.
Instead, they consume bamboo almost exclusively, using their strong molars to crush the tough stalks.
While biologically classified as carnivores, pandas have evolved a specialised diet of over 99 per cent bamboo, and rarely eat anything else.
Katyusha was born in Russia to Dindin and Zhui, and lives at the Moscow Zoo under a programme that closely cooperates with Chinese wildlife authorities.
Pandas have a special relationship with China, which considers them a national treasure and often sends them abroad as part of diplomatic and conservation partnerships.
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Story By: Michael Leidig, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
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