- Jake Bacon/Arizona Daily Sun
It's probably morally wrong to mess with the message displayed on highway signs, and maybe drivers were confused
briefly, but just typing "rogue panda" made me chuckle:
Fort Valley Road is no panda express.Local drivers making their morning commute Monday were greeted by an electronic sign along the busy stretch of road warning of a "rogue panda on rampage."
But rest easy, panda-phobes: It was a prank.
The Arizona Department of Transportation-controlled sign near the intersection of Fort Valley Road and Forest Avenue has been warning drivers about no left turns at the intersection. But at some point hackers took control to tell residents to be on the lookout for an ailuropoda melanoleuca, also known as a giant panda.
Authorities said there is no cause for concern.
"We want to assure all citizens of Flagstaff that there is no problem with rogue pandas," said Lt. Ken Koch with the Flagstaff Police Department.
He does, however, encourage anybody who spots a member of the endangered species roaming Flagstaff streets to call the police department.
