Chinese panda lovers in mourning after Peng Peng dies after years of ill health
Son of celebrated sire Pan Pan had spent years receiving treatment for eye problems before developing bleeding on the brain
Chinese internet users are mourning Peng Peng the panda which died on Thursday night at the age of 18.
Peng Peng passed away at the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda in Sichuan province, where it lived for most of its life and spent six years being treated for eyesight problems.
Peng Peng was born in September 1999, one of the many sons of the renowned sire Pan Pan, and lived to be the panda equivalent of 50 years old, according to the news portal scol.com.
Peng Peng had been receiving special care since 2011 because of cataract-related eyesight problems.
But late last month, the panda showed symptoms that suggested it had been suffering from seizures. It later was diagnosed with encephalitis, and its appetite became poor.
On December 7, Peng Peng fell unconscious and after a series of exams vets confirmed that the panda had bleeding on the brain. Peng Peng died after several days of treatment despite the efforts of medical staff to save it.