Chiang Mai Zoo yesterday threw a Chinesestyle party to mark the first birthday of its panda cub, Lin Ping.
The cub now weighs 36 kilograms and has 20 teeth.
The anniversary celebrations started with a meritmaking ceremony for the Office of Panda Research and Display in Thailand, presided over by Phra Kru Sirisilpasangworn "Khruba Noi" Techapanyo of Wat Sri Donmul in Saraphi district. Taking part were 400 friends and fans of Lin Ping from across the country.
They then went to the panda display section, which was beautifully decorated. Lin Ping's favourite toys were hanging on a wooden swing, an ice display of a Number One and a panda shape were placed in front of an artificial waterfall and a Chinesestyle dining table with three chairs in the centre.
On the table, various fruits were displayed as if they were human food - like fried chicken drumsticks, steamed fish and stirfried noodles for Lin Ping and mother Lin Hui.
Zoological Park Organisation (ZPO) director Sopon Damnui led the group in singing a "happy birthday" song for the cub and cut the giant cake worth Bt25,650. Dad, Choung Choung, was provided with his own meal at another display section.
Sopon said that the panda cub was the zoo's visitor magnet and helped raise its income by 60 per cent. Throughout the six years the panda family has been with the zoo, it had created nearly Bt200 million in income for the zoo and attracted three million visitors, he said.
A Bt110,045 money donation from pandalover fans was presented to Khruba Noi for a fund to buy land for a hospital in Tambon Chompoo, Saraphi district, he added.