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Popular panda on loan from China dies in Thai zoo

Chuang Chuang eats bamboo at Chiang Mai Zoo in northern Thailand in 2005.
Chuang Chuang eats bamboo at Chiang Mai Zoo in northern Thailand in 2005.
(Pornchai Kittiwongsakul/ AFP /Getty Images)
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Zoo staff in northern Thailand donned black-and-white clothing and observed a minute of silence to mourn the sudden death of their popular male giant panda, who was on a long-term loan from China.

Officials said Chuang Chuang collapsed Monday in his enclosure at the Chiang Mai Zoo shortly after standing up following a meal of bamboo leaves.

Staff said Tuesday they found no sign of illness or injury on the 19-year-old panda’s body, and that he had recently passed a health checkup.

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A zoo veterinarian said pandas have a life expectancy of 14 to 20 years.

Chuang Chuang and his female mate arrived in Chiang Mai in 2003 on a 10-year loan that was later extended for another 10 years.

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