Global Courant 2023-04-19 13:49:24
BANGKOK — A giant panda on loan from China to Thailand, who captivated animal lovers with a 24-hour live broadcast of her antics, has died aged 21 on Wednesday, the zoo where she was staying reported.
Lin Hui was the last of three pandas in Thailand and had lived in an air-conditioned enclosure at the Chiang Mai Zoo since 2003, but was due to return to China in October.
The notoriously sex-shy bear and her partner Chuang Chuang – who died of a heart attack in 2019 – were part of Beijing’s so-called “panda diplomacy” program.
Zoo director Wutthichai Muangman said Lin Hui suffered a nosebleed on Tuesday and was in critical condition by evening before dying in the early hours of Wednesday.
“We helped her as much as we could until Lin Hui left us,” said Mr. Wutthichai to reporters.
Dejboon Maprasert, president of the Zoological Park Organization of Thailand, said Chinese and Thai experts will conduct an autopsy jointly.
For years, Lin Hui and Chuang Chuang struggled to conceive and were even shown “panda pornography” in an attempt to spice up their sex lives.
After artificial insemination, Lin Hui finally gave birth to Lin Ping in 2009, which led to a panda mania in Thailand.
Animal lovers in the country were glued to a live 24-hour “Panda Channel” broadcast between 2009 and 2012.
Fans took to social media on Wednesday to express their grief over the animal’s death.
“I used to watch her on TV all the time. She was my motivation. RIP Lin Hui,” one Twitter user wrote.
Mr Srettha Thavisin, Prime Ministerial candidate for the country’s Pheu Thai party, tweeted that the panda has brought much joy to Thais over the years.
When Lin Hui’s health deteriorated, vets at the Thai zoo consulted Chinese experts in Chengdu about treatment options.
On Tuesday night, the Chinese consulate in Chiang Mai sent officials to the facility.
