Thailand zoo gets extended panda cub loan

Thailand’s Chiang Mai Zoo will be allowed to keep its star panda cub for two more years.

Animal lovers taking flights to Thailand this year may be glad to hear that a giant panda cub, which is on loan from a Chinese zoo, will remain in the country for two more years.

Lin Ping, who is one year and 10 months old, was due to move to China in May on her second birthday, but she will be allowed to stay in Thailand until 2013, the AFP reported.

The youngster was the first giant panda cub to be born in Thailand after a successful artificial insemination project at Chiang Mai Zoo.

Lin Ping is a national star in Thailand, with a 24-hour Panda Channel allowing nature enthusiasts to follow her every move.

Her name literally means ‘forest of ice’ in Chinese and was decided upon after a 2009 competition yielded 22 million suggestions.

The decision to let Lin Ping stay in Thailand for two more years was announced today (April 7th) by Chinese parliamentary leader Wu Bangguo, who was speaking with visiting Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

Written by Alex Cochrane