Chiang Mai Zoo in Mourning After Giant Panda Lin Hui Dies She Was 21-Year-Old

The Giant Panda Lin Hui, the star attraction at Chiang Mai Zoo, died early yesterday morning. She was 21 years old at the time. The staff at the zoo are in mourning awaiting the arrival of Chinese experts to perform a postmortem examination to identify the reason of her death.

Wuthichai Muangman, director of the Chiang Mai Zoo, told the Bangkok Post that he received word from the zoo’s panda research team about 11 a.m. on Tuesday that Lin Hui had suffered a nosebleed.

He reported the symptoms to the Beijing Zoological Park Organisation and the China Wildlife Conservation Association, who encouraged the zoo to speak with the Chengdu Conservation and Research Centre for Giant Pandas.

Lin Hui’s condition was also notified to the Chinese Consulate-General in Chiang Mai by the zoo. Chinese officials were dispatched to the zoo and communicated through WeChat with giant panda experts in Chengdu.

Lin Hui had a seizure about 1 a.m. yesterday. A team of vets administered treatment based on recommendations from Chinese experts, but the giant panda died quietly about 1.10 a.m., according to the director of the Chiang Mai Zoo.

Lin Hui was born on September 28, 2001, in Chengdu, China, at the Giant Panda Research and Conservation Centre. On October 12, 2003, she was assigned to Chiang Mai Zoo as a goodwill ambassador between China and Thailand.

Since October 2003, more than 7.4 million people have visited the zoo to view her and a male Chinese panda named Xuang Xuang, who died in 2019.

Chiang Mai Air Quality Worst in World

Meanwhile, Chiang Mai city has consistently topped the rankings in recent weeks, however Chiang Rai, which is not on the list, has scored even better on the IQAir scale. On Tuesday, Chiang Rai had an air quality rating of 199, compared to 177 in Chiang Mai and 157 in Bangkok.

The scale is divided into six categories: 0-50 (good), 51-100 (moderate), 101-150 (unhealthy for select groups), 151-200 (unhealthy), 201-300 (extremely unhealthy), and over 301 (dangerous).

According to IQAir, the ten cities with the worst air pollution in the world as of 10 a.m. were:

186. Kathmandu, Nepal

2. Chiang Mai (177 km)

164. Dhaka, Bangladesh

4. Bangkok (157).

154. Johannesburg, South Africa

153. Kolkata, India

151. Shenyang, China

142. Kuching, Malaysia

142. Yangon, Myanmar

Delhi, India – 133.

According to IQAir, harmful PM2.5 air pollution levels averaged 67.3 micrograms per cubic metre (mcg) in Bangkok, 98.1 in Chiang Mai, and 117.8 in Chiang Rai.

The acceptable limit for PM2.5 – fine-dust pollution related to premature death from heart and/or lung problems – in Thailand is 50mcg.

According to the Pollution Control Department, the highest PM2.5 level in Chiang Mai was 134mcg in Chiang Dao district, followed by Muang district (102mcg), Mae Chaem (76mcg), and Hot (56mcg).

Meanwhile, as of 7 a.m., 29 air-quality monitoring stations across Bangkok indicated excessive levels of PM2.5 pollution.

According to the Bangkok Air Quality Centre, PM2.5 levels in most parts of the capital ranged between 38 and 58mcg.

People who live in polluted areas are encouraged to spend less time outside and to wear protective gear such as face masks. T

Consult a doctor if you get a cough, difficulty breathing, eye discomfort, headache, irregular heartbeat, nausea, or tiredness.