CHIANG MAI: Officials of the Chiang Mai Zoo has taken its lone giant panda Lin Hui outdoors for a walk from 9am to 10am every day until next month thanks to the cool weather.
Chiang Mai Zoo director Wuthichai Muangman said on Thursday that Lin Hui would be in an outdoor garden to welcome visitors as temperatures were falling in the northern province. The giant panda's morning walk has been the zoo's highlight during the cool season for 17 years, he said.
He hoped the morning sunlight would make Lin Hui happier and healthier.
The female giant panda turned 20 on Sept 28. She has been alone at the zoo since her mate Xuang Xuang was found dead at the age of 19 in his enclosure at the zoo on Sept 16, 2019. The death was attributed to a heart problem.
Lin Hui's outdoor morning walks were scheduled between 9am and 10am daily and would continue until the end of January.
Both Xuang Xuang and Lin Hui had arrived in Chiang Mai in October 2003. China lent the couple under a cooperation agreement in which Thailand would help research the life and breeding habits of the animals.
Through artificial insemination, Lin Hui gave birth to their first baby at the zoo on May 27, 2009. The baby named Lin Ping left for China in 2013.