The adorable video shows several family members getting excited after encountering a rare giant panda at their doorstep.

Smartphone footage recorded in front of the family’s home in a forested area on Lushan Mountain, in the city of Ya’an, in China’s province of Sichuan, depicted the panda drinking water from a small river on 28th February.

The animal, which they have since nicknamed ‘Gun Gun’, can then be seen leisurely strolling around the area and crossing the river while continuously sniffing something in the surroundings.

The mesmerised cameraman meanwhile kept following it closely in order to capture each moment of the unusual encounter.

Social media users on China’s version of TikTok, Douyin, could not refrain from commenting after the video was shared on the platform later that day.

Douyin user ‘Early summer is like the wind’ said: “Giant pandas are always so nice and calm.”

Then user ‘Eiko~’ commented: “Is the little one hungry or feeling uncomfortable somehow?”

Giant Panda Superstar Performs Series Of Stunts In Enclosure

And ‘starry (starry sky)’ added: “I just hope that the location of the panda cub won’t be exposed.

“It’s best not to disturb them, just in case there are people with ill intentions keeping an eye on them.”

The video has reached more than 34,000 likes and over 1,500 shares as of 1st March.

The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is a bear species endemic to China, and inhabits mountainous regions with dense bamboo forests.

With its population estimated at only around 1,800 individuals in the wild, the giant panda is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ on IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species.

The primary threat to the species is habitat destruction caused by human activities such as deforestation and infrastructure development.