A panda in China which would not let go of a mobile phone a tourist accidentally dropped into his enclosure has been dubbed a ‘smartphone addict’ by online observers.

On February 22, a visitor accidentally dropped their mobile phone while filming the giant panda, Qingling, at the Dujiangyan Panda Base in southwestern China’s Sichuan province.

The three-year-old panda grabbed the phone as if it were his new toy.

He played around with it and even held it in a way that looked like he was taking a selfie.

Using carrots as bait, zoo staff tried to snatch the phone from Qingling’s hand with an extension grabber but failed.