Thai-born panda turns 3

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CHIANG MAI, Thailand, June 27 (UPI) -- Administrators at a Thailand zoo said they threw a party to mark the third birthday of the first giant panda to be born in the country.

Lin Ping, born to mother Lin Hui and father Chuang Chuang May 27, 2009, received a party at Chiang Mai Zoo to mark her milestone of three years and one month of life, MCOT News reported Wednesday.

Prasertsak Boontrakulpuntawee, head of the zoo's panda research project, said Lin Ping now weighs 236 pounds and is a healthy specimen.

Prasertsak said the Thai Foreign Ministry informed the zoo Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra asked Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao to extend the panda's stay in Thailand by three years. He said the issue will be discussed by officials from both countries in September.

Officials at the zoo said the panda, who used flags to correctly choose Spain as the winner of the 2010 World Cup, used similar means to predict Germany will beat Italy and Spain will beat Portugal in the upcoming Euro 2012 semifinal matches.