At 7:30 AM, zookeeper Michael Torres, 32, carried buckets of bamboo shoots and fresh fruit toward the panda enclosure at Green Valley Zoo in Oregon. It was a ritual he had performed hundreds of times before. His favorite animal — Bai Yun, a seven-year-old male panda adored by both staff and visitors — had always been calm, playful, and affectionate.
Colleagues say Torres spoke to the panda softly each morning, sometimes humming while placing the bamboo neatly by the rocks. To outsiders, it looked like a friendship — a man and his gentle giant.
But this morning, something went terribly wrong.
The Sudden Attack
Just moments after Torres entered the enclosure, Bai Yun — described for years as “the gentlest in the zoo” — displayed unusual agitation. Witnesses say the panda let out a sharp cry before charging.
“The sound was chilling,” recalled one staff member who asked not to be named. “It all happened so fast. One moment Michael was setting down food, the next moment the panda lunged.”
Emergency alarms rang out as fellow keepers rushed to intervene. Within minutes, security personnel used noise deterrents and barriers to draw the animal back. But by then, Torres had suffered catastrophic injuries.
Green Valley Zoo released a statement confirming the tragedy:
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our dedicated keeper, Michael Torres. Michael devoted his life to the care and love of animals, and his loss leaves an unfillable void in our community.”
Shockwaves Through the Zoo
The incident left staff in shock. Bai Yun, long considered the zoo’s star attraction, had never shown signs of aggression. Children would often press their faces to the glass as he lazily chewed bamboo, rolled in the grass, or splashed in the water.