© Getty ImagesWorkers had been disinfecting an air raid shelter inside the zoo when the gases leaked through the ventilation system into the panda house.
Quan Quan, a 21-year-old panda at Jinan Zoo in Shandong province, in eastern China, died after inhaling a mixture of chlorine, chlorine hydride and carbon monoxide, according to a spokesman.
The panda, which had given birth to seven cubs, arrived on loan at the zoo in 2007 from the Wolong panda reserve in Sichuan province. Quan Quan was one of the zoo's star attractions, helping to boost visitor numbers to around 30,000 a day.
Workers had been disinfecting an air raid shelter inside the zoo when the gases leaked through the ventilation system into the panda house.
"The ventilation system was built in 1995," said a spokesman. "It was used to keep the panda house cool, but it fed large amounts of smoke into the panda enclosure."
At 21, Quan Quan was the equivalent of more than 70-years-old in human terms, according to Chen Lihua, the head of the animal-breeding department at Shanghai zoo. Most pandas live to between 20 years and 25 years.
"The zoo must give a full explanation for the death of the panda on Thursday as soon as possible. Without the panda, the zoo will lose the top attraction for its visitors," said Wang Jingjing, a 27-year-old interior designer in Jinan. "She was quite healthy when I visited her last time," she added.
... does anyone know if Quon Quon was working on any covert biological weapons?