CHIANG MAI : Hundreds of well-wishers, fans and tourists joined a ceremony yesterday to bid farewell to Thai-born giant panda Lin Ping.
GOODBYE LIN PING: Two panda mascots are paraded through downtown Chiang Mai to mark the send-off of Lin Ping.
The female panda was flown to China to find a mate.
Lin Ping was put aboard a Thai Airways International charter flight, code-named the "Flight of Love", from Chiang Mai to Chengdu in China's Sichuan province.
The farewell procession, which featured two giant panda mascots in a pink convertible coupe, began from Chiang Mai Zoo at 7am and finished at Chiang Mai international airport, where the farewell ceremony was held.
Former prime minister Somchai Wongsawat and Chinese ambassador to Thailand Ning Fukai participated in the send-off.
The Du Jiangyan Giant Panda Base, part of the China Conservation and Research Centre, has prepared six male pandas for the four-year-old Lin Ping to choose from once she arrives in Chengdu, Mr Somchai said.
The former PM thanked China for giving Thailand the chance for Lin Ping to be born here.
The Chinese ambassador offered similar praise, thanking Thailand for taking good care of the giant panda.
Lin Ping's trip to her spiritual homeland signified cooperation between the two countries in breeding and conserving the endangered animals, he added.
Lin Ping was accompanied by veterinarian Kannika Jantarangsri, head of Chiang Mai Zoo's conservation section.
Plenty of bamboo and other food was on hand to ensure Lin Ping did not get hungry on the flight.
There was also in-flight entertainment _ car tyres and plastic footballs were put in the panda's cage to help it relax.
Lin Ping is expected to return to Thailand with its mate around May next year.
The pair will spend 15 years here under a new loan contract in which Thailand will pay China US$1 million (about 32 million baht) per year.
Lin Ping was born to Xuang Xuang and Lin Hui, both of which have been on loan from China since 2003.
The government has also agreed to pay $500,000 a year to extend the stay of Lin Ping's parents, as their original 10-year loan will expire next month.
A new attempt to get Xuang Xuang and Lin Hui to breed was conducted by a team of veterinarians at Chiang Mai Zoo on Friday night.
They artificially inseminated the female Lin Hui, the fifth attempt involving the panda couple. The result is expected to be known in two to three weeks.