Zoo denies maltreatment caused death of panda

A 7-year-old giant panda who died last Sunday suffered cardio-respiratory failure caused by massive bleeding in its stomach, a Zhengzhou Zoo official said yesterday, denying claims the death was the result of maltreatment and poor living conditions.

Jin Yi began refusing to eat on February 7 and got sicker the next day, said Li Chaojun, chief of the zoo's animal management department in the Henan Province capital. Veterinarians, doctors and experts from the China Giant Panda Protection and Research Center were all contacted for treatment but Jin Yi died early on February 9.

An initial autopsy showed that she had suffered cardio-respiratory failure caused by acute hemorrhagic gastroenteritis and shock. Further tests are being carried out to determine the exact cause of the bleeding and results should be available in a couple of weeks, Li said.

Panda 'Jinyi' dies in 'stinky' Zhengzhou Zoo

The Zhengzhou Zoo in Henan province has confirmed that a panda referred to as "missing" by local media was in fact dead, and has come under fire for housing the animal in an unsanitary environment.