21-year-old panda dies in Thailand

Giant panda Lin Hui takes food at Chiang Mai Zoo in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Dec. 23, 2022. Lin Hui arrived in Chiang Mai on loan from China at the age of two in 2003. (Xinhua/Wang Teng)

CHENGDU, April 19 (Xinhua) -- The 21-year-old panda Lin Hui passed away at Thailand's Chiang Mai Zoo on Wednesday morning, the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda confirmed.

Born in September 2001, the female panda was moved to Thailand in 2003 through a program of China-Thailand cooperative research on giant pandas, and had been living in the zoo ever since.

The center said that the giant panda suddenly fell into a coma on Tuesday night. Rescue efforts were carried out after the center received reports of the situation from the zoo. Unfortunately, despite rescue efforts, the panda died at around 2 a.m. on Wednesday.

Recent health examinations showed that the giant panda suffered from an abnormal kidney function index and high blood pressure.

The Chinese side will send an expert team to Thailand to work with Thailand's experts and investigate the cause of Lin Hui's death. ■