Panda-monium In Thailand For Cub's First Birthday

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Panda-monium in Thailand for cub's first birthday

BANGKOK (AFP) -- Riot-stricken Thailand had something to smile about on Thursday as the nation's only panda cub, who enjoys a cult-like following across the kingdom, celebrated her first birthday in style.

Hundreds of fans gathered at Chiang Mai zoo in northern Thailand for the birthday of Linping, whose birth surprised zookeepers after years of unsuccessful artificial insemination and efforts to get her parents to mate.

A monk's blessing, a panda birthday cake and an ice carving of her name and age were among the gifts for the 36-kilo (79-pound) cub, who has five keepers devoted to her care, before an evening celebration for guests.

Linping has become so popular in her first year that Thai television has a live 24-hour "Panda Channel" following her every move, while a competition to name her last year attracted a staggering 22 million entries.

Lin is part of her mother's name and Ping is a river in Chiang Mai.

"It is very special that people join us today," said Prasertsak Buntragulpoontawee, head of the panda research project at the zoo.

Linping was born to eight-year-old giant panda Lin Hui just three months after receiving semen from nine-year-old partner Chuang Chuang.

The mates had shown no interest in reproducing normally since they both arrived on a 10-year loan from China in 2003. Linping officially belongs to China but can stay in Thailand for another year.

In 2006, Chuang Chuang, who had been deemed too heavy to mate with Lin Hui, lost weight on a low-carbohydrate diet and was then shown 15-minute video clips of successful panda couplings, but to no avail.

Giant pandas, notorious for their low sex drive, are among the planet's most endangered animals. Nearly 1,600 pandas are believed to survive in the wild in China, where more than 200 are also being raised in captivity.

-- ©Copyright AFP 2010-05-27

Published with written approval from AFP.

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Happy B-Day.