A beloved male giant panda on loan to Thailand from China has died
aged 19 in Chiang Mai, leaving Thais on Tuesday to mourn the death of a
mammal whose sex life captivated the kingdom.
Chuang Chuang, a resident of the northern city's zoo since October
2003, arrived with female Lin Hui, where the pair lived in an
air-conditioned enclosure.
The pair's mating habits -- or lack of -- became a source of
relentless public intrigue, with Chuang Chuang put on a low-carb diet
and shown video clips of panda's coupling in an attempt to spice up
their sex drive.
After struggles to conceive, Lin Hui finally gave birth thanks to
artificial insemination to Linping in 2009, spurring a widely-watched
live 24-hour "Panda Channel".
"Rest in peace, little bear."
Chiang Mai zoo director Wutthichai Muangmun said before his death, Chuang Chuang was doing what he liked best -- eating bamboo.
"He was walking around, but staggered and fell to the ground," he told reporters.
Each panda was insured for up to 15 million baht ($490,000) under the agreement with China, he added.
On loan from Chengdu, the pair were a part of China's so-called "panda diplomacy", and were supposed to be returned in 2023.
Giant pandas are notorious for their low sex drive, and are among the world's most endangered animals.
Their average life expectancy ranges from 15 to 20 year in the wild,
but they can live up to 30 years in captivity, according to WWF.
Source Jakarta Post
