China News Service, April 19. According to a comprehensive report, according to the Chinese Consulate General in Chiang Mai, the Chiang Mai Zoo in Thailand reported that the giant panda "Lin Hui" traveling in Thailand unfortunately passed away at 1:10 a.m. on April 19, 2023, local time.

As a friendly messenger between Thailand and China, the news of the death of "Lin Hui" made countless people feel sad. Netizens posted condolences one after another, hoping that "Lin Hui" rests in peace and "returns to its giant panda planet."

Picture source: Screenshot of the website of the Chinese Consulate General in Chiang Mai

"Lin Hui" passed away

China and Thailand will jointly investigate

Sources from the Chinese Consulate General in Chiang Mai stated that on April 18, "Lin Hui" began to feel unwell. The Chiang Mai Zoo paid close attention and actively carried out treatment under the guidance of experts from the China Giant Panda Conservation Center. "Lin Hui" eventually passed away due to ineffective rescue efforts.

During the rescue process, the Chinese Consulate General in Chiang Mai sent personnel to the scene to coordinate and follow up on relevant work. It is reported that experts from China and Thailand will launch a joint investigation into the cause of "Lin Hui"'s death as soon as possible and make every effort to deal with the aftermath.

The news of "Lin Hui"'s death quickly aroused heated discussions on social media, with netizens expressing sadness and condolences.

Some netizens expressed the hope that "Lin Hui" rests in peace and "returns to its giant panda planet."

"Messenger of Friendship"

Giant pandas bring joy to the Thai people

Giant panda "Lin Hui" was born in September 2001. In 2003, "Lin Hui" and another male giant panda "Chuang Chuang" settled in Chiang Mai Zoo, Thailand. They became envoys of friendly exchanges between China and Thailand and were deeply loved by the Thai people.

Previous reports stated that Chiang Mai Zoo spent US$1.25 million to build a 1,000-square-meter panda enclosure. Thai experts and nursing staff also made a special trip to the Sichuan Panda Breeding Base to learn from the experience. Chinese experts are also invited to Thailand from time to time to guide scientific research and impart experience.

In May 2009, the cubs of "Lin Hui" and "Chuang Chuang" were born, becoming the first giant pandas born in Thailand. The family of three is a household name in Thailand.

After the birth of the giant panda cub, relevant Thai institutions and enterprises jointly launched a campaign to collect prizes and names for the panda cubs, and 22 million people participated in the campaign. In the end, the name "Lin Bing" won with the highest number of votes.

Data map: Giant panda "Lin Bing". Photo by Qiu Yu

According to reports, "Lin" is taken from the surname of his mother "Lin Hui", and "Bing" is taken from the homophony of the name of a famous river in Chiang Mai. The Thai people use this Chinese-Thai name to express their best wishes for the panda cubs and the friendship between China and Thailand.

For many years in Thailand, "Lin Hui" and his family of three have brought a lot of joy to the Thai people, especially children, and have also made important contributions to Chiang Mai's tourism industry. Chiang Mai Zoo once revealed that after "Chuang Chong" and "Lin Hui" entered the park, the number of visitors increased significantly, and ticket revenue increased from about 15 million baht per year to about 30 million baht per year.

China: Feeling sad and regretful about the death of "Lin Hui"

On April 19, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that China is sad and regretful about the death of giant panda "Lin Hui" who was traveling in Thailand.

Wang Wenbin said that it is understood that "Lin Hui" suddenly fell into coma on the evening of the 18th. After the China Giant Panda Conservation Center learned about it, it immediately organized experts to guide the Thai side in the rescue work through a video connection. It was very regrettable that it could not save his life. The Chinese Consulate General in Chiang Mai promptly sent personnel to the scene to assist.

The Chinese competent authorities will set up an expert team to go to Thailand as soon as possible to jointly investigate the cause of death with Thai experts and make every effort to deal with the aftermath. The Chinese Embassy and Consulates in Thailand will continue to actively provide assistance.

"Chuang Chuang" passed away many years ago

The cause of death was an acute attack of chronic heart failure

Unfortunately, on September 16, 2019, the giant panda "Chuang Chuang" died suddenly.

After the incident, the Chinese expert team and the Thai side jointly investigated the cause of Chuang Chuang’s death. Chiang Mai Province in Thailand held a memorial event for "Chuang Chuang".

The director of Chiang Mai Zoo said that the zoo and the keepers have always taken good care of the two giant pandas. Shortly before Chuang Chuang passed away, a 19th birthday celebration was held for him. He and his colleagues felt very regretful and sad that this happened.

On October 8, 2019, the State Forestry and Grassland Administration of China released a report on the death results of giant panda "Chuang Chuang". "Chuang Chuang" had no external injuries on the body and no foreign matter in the trachea. The cause of death was an acute attack of chronic heart failure and hypoxia in systemic organs.