Panda cub celebrates 7th month birthday

CHIANG MAI, 27 December 2009 (NNT) – Panda cub Lin Ping celebrates her seventh month birthday anniversary on Sunday amid warm welcome and presents at the display area of Chiang Mai Zoo in the northern province of Chiang Mai.

Panda Research and Display Project Head Prasertsak Buntragulpoontawee and his team members took the panda cub out to the display area in the garden. Lin Ping received about 100 pieces of presents upon her seven-month-old birthday, including a wooden bicycle, a winding car, a football, a slide, and many others sent to her via post and by hand at the display area.

The panda cub played with all her new toys before climbing up trees and wooden bars in the display area. Mr Prasertsak reported that Lin Ping was stronger, could climb up higher and could use both front legs to hold on to the pole longer.

More than 2,000 people had been queuing up to see the panda in the morning display round at 8.00 hrs, a dramatic increase from the average number of visitors of about 1,400-1,500 per day. Mr Prasertsak said therefore the research team decided to extend the display duration in the morning for another 30 minutes, and the panda cub was cooperative with her staff members.

The panda project head expected that the number of tourists in the evening would be as high as the morning session as people would like to celebrate the seventh month anniversary for Lin Ping and the panda cub will appear with her mother, Lin Hui.