There were somber scenes today after a beloved panda named Chuang Chuang died in a Thai zoo.<br /><br />The male panda had celebrated his 19th birthday in August and was in good health at the Chiang Mai zoo in northern Thailand. <br /><br />But yesterday (September 16) he had finished eating his favourite bamboo shoots before walking around his enclosure and collapsing. <br /><br />The body of Chuang Chuang, or Xuang Xuang, is now being held at the zoo while staff wait for Chinese officials to carry out a post mortem examination. <br /><br />Staff believe that Chuang Chuang could have choked on his food or died from old age.<br /><br />Zoo director Wutthichai Muangmun said: ''Chuang Chuang has not had any illness previously and he had celebrated his birthday on August 6.<br /><br />''The cause of the death has not yet been proven. We are having to wait for experts from the People's Republic of China to investigate. <br /><br />''As for the primary cause, it is expected that food particles may have been stuck in the throat or he may have died naturally.''<br /><br />Chuang Chuang arrived in Chiang Mai with female panda Lin Hui in October 2003. The bears were gifts from China to show closer relations between the two countries.<br /><br />Pandas have a life-span of around 20 years in the wild.
