A panda cub had to be rescued from a large toy after getting its head stuck inside while playing, and it began barking in distress.

Adorable footage shows the cub, named Yuai, playing around a giant red toy in its enclosure at a zoo in Chongqing, in south-western China.

But after sticking its head inside a hollowed-out end of the toy, it became stuck inside with the toy overturned on top of it.

Yuai’s keeper immediately rushed over to help, but was also unable to free the playful panda at first.

As the caretaker tried to figure out a way to set it loose, Yuai unexpectedly began barking just like a puppy, prompting laughter from visitors who stood by observing the operation.

Meanwhile, another panda cub was seen standing on top of a small tree nearby, watching the rescue in apparent confusion.

After grappling with the plastic toy for a few seconds, the keeper then picked it up and turned the opening towards the ground, assisting the panda as it clumsily crawled out.

According to local media, Yuai is well known among many zoogoers for its distinctive and sassy personality.

And netizens on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, seemed to be enjoying its antics as well.

One user titled ‘Jieran is different’ commented: “The cub is so annoyed that it barks like a dog.”

Another called ‘bottle of Sauce’ wrote: “The keeper broke out in a sweat.”

And ‘Xiao Ye’ said: “The cutie above is so dumbfounded.”