A giant panda whose sudden death in Thailand sparked outrage in China last month died from a heart attack, according to a Chinese government agency.

China dispatched a team of experts to Thailand after 19-year-old Chuang Chuang died at the Chiang Mai Zoo on September 16. Pandas can live up to 30 years in captivity.

The panda had been living in an air-conditioned enclosure with female Lin Hui.

The pair were on loan from the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu as part of Beijing's so-called "panda diplomacy" and were supposed to be returned in 2023.

Chuang Chuang's demise became a trending topic on China's Weibo, a popular social media platform where people discussed the "suspicious circumstances" of his death.

Users criticised the zoo for giving him mature bamboo -- usually harder and used to make furniture -- as food, though it remained unclear if photos shared were actually of Chuang Chuang.

After an autopsy, a joint group of Thai and Chinese experts "unanimously" concluded that there was no trauma on the panda's body and no foreign body in his trachea, China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration said on its Weibo account on Tuesday.

The cause of death was "an acute attack of chronic heart failure" resulting in a lack of oxygen, it said.

Chiang Mai zoo director Wutthichai Muangmun told reporters at the time that before his death, Chuang Chuang was doing what he liked best -- eating bamboo.

lth/rox/aph

Weibo

Related Links
Darwin Today At TerraDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Need for balance drives development of limb-body coordination
Washington DC (UPI) Oct 08, 2019
Nobody likes to feel dizzy and off-balance. Whether you're a human or a zebrafish, your body craves balance. According to a new study, it is this need for balance that drives the development of body-limb coordination. Just as humans rely on the inner ear for balance, fish use special vestibular organs to maintain equilibrium. Through a series of experiments, scientists showed zebrafish rely on their vestibular organs to guide the development of body-limb coordination. In the lab, scienti ... read more