Female giant panda Cheng Gong at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province Photo: IC

 
The sudden death of an elderly female giant panda named Cheng Gong, mother of the popular panda star Hua Hua, as well as the actual mother of the major character Po in the US animation Kung Fu Panda, at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province, shocked panda fans nationwide and sparked heated discussion online on Monday. 

The research base announced the death of the panda on late Sunday, saying that the female panda passed away at the panda house on Sunday morning at the age of 23, equivalent to a 70 to 80-year-old human. 

According to a statement released by the research base on Sunday night, Cheng Gong had been consuming bamboo normally in recent days and her fecal matter and body weight were normal. Her fur was bright and her overall condition was good. Breeders on the night shift noted Cheng Gong was in good condition on Saturday night. 

She was found dead lying on her left side. Her body was stretched, surrounded by a large quantity of outer skin of bamboo shoots she had consumed the night before, with no abnormal observations made within her habitat, the statement said. 

On Sunday afternoon, the research base initiated the pathological analysis and comprehensive evaluation in collaboration with the zoopathologists in the province. 

According to media reports, Cheng Gong was born with twin sister named Cheng Ji on September 11, 2000 at the research base. She had become well known for her obsession with hygiene. 

The topic of the sudden death of Cheng Gong trended on China’s social media platforms across Monday morning, with over 2.41 million netizens expressing condolences to the hero panda mother who gave birth to nine cubs including the popular star panda He Hua, more commonly known as Hua Hua, at the research base. 

As of Monday morning, over 8,700 netizens left messages on Sina Weibo praising the hero panda mother who had contributed to panda breeding throughout her entire life. They also called for the early disclosure of the cause of death. 

Other netizens were shocked that Cheng Gong had reached such an old age since she gave birth just three years ago to the youngest twin cubs, He Hua and He Ye on July 4, 2020. 

Global Times