BANGKOK: A giant panda on loan from China to Thailand who captivated animal lovers through a 24-hour live broadcast of her antics died on Wednesday aged 21, said the zoo where she was housed.

Lin Hui was the last of three pandas in Thailand and had lived in an air-conditioned enclosure at Chiang Mai Zoo since 2003, but was due to return to China in October.

The notoriously sex-shy bear and her mate Chuang Chuang — who died of a heart attack in 2019 — were part of Beijing’s so-called “panda diplomacy” programme.

Zoo director Wutthichai Muangman said Lin Hui suffered a nosebleed on Tuesday and was in a critical condition by the evening, before dying in the early hours of Wednesday.

“We helped her as much as we could until Lin Hui left us,” Wutthichai told reporters.

Dejboon Maprasert, chairman of the Zoological Park Organisation of Thailand, said Chinese and Thai experts would jointly conduct an autopsy.

For years Lin Hui and Chuang Chuang struggled to conceive, following artificial insemination, Lin Hui finally gave birth to Lin Ping in 2009, sparking 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 Wednesday to express sorrow over the animal’s death.

“I used to watch her on the TV all the time. She was my motivation. RIP Lin Hui,” one Twitter user wrote.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2023