CHENGDU -- A wild giant panda was spotted in a village in Southwest China's Sichuan province Friday morning.

"The panda was drinking water from a river in Yangkai village. I saw it during a patrol with villagers around 9 am," said Liu Chang, Party chief of Dachuan town in Lushan county, Ya'an city.

They quickly took some photos before the panda ran off and disappeared into the forest.

"The panda looked to be in a very good state," he added.

Residents have come across wild giant pandas at least 18 times since 2015 in eight counties in Ya'an, according to incomplete statistics from local authorities.

Sichuan was home to 1,387 wild giant pandas as of the end of 2013, accounting for almost 75 percent of the country's total.