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| Thais' Newest Obsession with Baby Panda |
| UPDATE : 9 June 2009 |
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This is....Ms. Smith, yours truly. I would once again write about suicide if I hadn't already last week. Another case of suicide at one of Bangkok's most popular and crowded shopping center in the Ratchadapisek area. Gossip mongers have concluded that it must have taken a great deal of stress and pressure for someone to end it then and there in the middle of a mall. Needless to say, this is another stark reminder to the Thai society that immediate attention is required to improve the emotional quality of life for Thais. My last word on this is, when there's hope there's life.
Now on to something that would put a smile to your face.
Thais are a crazy bunch when it comes to something new. Newest clubs are filled to the brim for the first 3 months and usually forgotten after 6 months max. Same goes with the latest imported snacks, fashion trends and...the newest addition to Chiang Mai zoo, the doesn't-look-anything-like-panda panda cub!
I love animals, don't get me wrong. But the public and the Thai media have seriously gone overboard with this one. Perhaps it's because of the lack of anything cheerful or new to write about. We need good news in the papers and ever since Thai-Japanese boy Keigo found his father, we were all hungry for more. Lin Hui must have a great sense of timing when she gave birth to a new healthy baby panda girl right in front of the clueless zoo officials who had no idea Lin Hui was pregnant.
The new baby panda became the “Keigo” for Thais. Well, not exactly the same since the nameless baby panda wouldn't have to go far to search for its biological father, Chuang Chuang. He lives in the same zoo after all. Despite the initial surprise, the Thai authorities have done a great job at providing care for the panda cub and Lin Hui. The Chinese authorities are happy with the birth and the developments of the new baby cub. The Thai public are constantly updated with SMS news alerts and news stories about the progress of the baby panda. It's a relief, really, to read about how Lin Hui eventually put down the baby long enough to attend to her personal business after NINE whole days since giving birth, instead of about something popularly-sordid that are usually favored by Thai dailies. Just to let you know how much I know about the new baby panda; it's now 22cm long and weighs 500 grams and it grows fatter by the day (average of around 50grams/day). Instead of the pale pink skin and wisps of white hair, you can now start to see black patches, on which its signature black hair will eventually grow on. But it still looks like a puppy and nothing like Lin Hui.
Talking about going crazy about the pandas, the Thai authorities have issued a birth certificate for the baby panda, so she has a Thai nationality. Not only that, the Environment minister is talking about petitioning the Chinese authorities to extend the panda family's stay in Thailand. Lin Hui and Chuang Chuang were on loan to Thailand 6 years ago as ambassadors of friendship between Thailand and China. Under the 10-year agreement the pandas must be returned to China in 2013 and any panda cub born in Thailand must be returned to China within 2 years of its birth. However, the prospect of the short period of time the baby panda will stay in Thailand did not diminish the enthusiasm of the welcome Thailand is set to shower on the panda cub. Millions of baht will be spent on building a snow dome for the panda family, money that could be spent on other projects to create jobs and provide shelters for people (instead of pandas). Grand projects have been launched to welcome the cub, including a naming competition with a prize money of Bt1,000,000! I vote for a Thai name--she has a Thai nationality after all.
With that said, the money spent on building the snow dome and naming competition will eventually make its way around the economy and help boost tourism for Thailand and Chiang Mai. So, it's not all bad and wasteful (except the snow dome--maybe they'll turn it into a snow adventure park or something similar).
Story by: Ms. Smith
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