Thailand's panda suffered heart attack

Thailand's celebrity giant panda Chuang Chuang died from a heart attack, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration announced on Tuesday.

The result was confirmed by experts from both China and Thailand, according to the announcement released by the administration on its official Weibo account.

"There is no trauma on Chuang Chuang's body, and the panda had chronic heart failure before the attack, which resulted in alack of oxygen," the announcement read.

On Sept 19, Chuang Chuang died unexpectedly at the age of 19 in Chiang Mai Zoo in the city of Chiang Mai, according to an official announcement released by the zoo.

Zoo director Wutthichai Muangmunsaid Chuang Chuang devoted the last hours of his life to eating bamboo.

Chuang Chuang and his partner Lin Hui — now Thailand's only remaining panda — were on loan to Thailand since 2003. Lin Hui gave birth in 2009, and the baby panda was returned to China.

Life expectancy of giant pandas varies from 15 to 20 years in the wild, but they can reach the age of 30 in captivity, according to the World Wildlife Fund for nature.