Zookepers set up a memorial zone for a beloved giant panda that passed away at the Chiang Mai Zoo in Thailand this week.

Staff draped white cloth near the zoo's entrance today to mourn Lin Hui, the female giant panda and Chiang Mai zoo's star attraction, who died suddenly on April 19.

Zoo director Wuttichai Muangman said workers will be adding decorations to the front entrance and the panda exhibition area with Lin Hui's pictures. A message board will also be placed where tourists can write their goodbyes to her.

Wuttichai said the date of the official mourning ceremony will be announced later, and locals who wish to attend may contact the zoo.

As of Friday, visitors were allowed to lay flowers in front of Lin Hui's enclosure, but the exhibition area itself will remain closed until the ceremony.

Lin Hui had fallen ill on April 18, and died the following day at the age of 21. Zoo officials have blamed her age for her sudden passing.

She was born on September 28, 2001 at the China Conservation and Research Centre for Giant Pandas in Sichuan province before being gifted to Thailand, along with another panda named Chuang Chuang, in 2003.

Both served as a symbol of friendship and goodwill from the Chinese government.

Chuang Chuang died of heart failure on September 16, 2019.

Lin Hui and Chuang Chuang successfully bred through artificial insemination and had a baby named Lin Ping, who was born on May 27, 2009.

Scientists are unsure of the giant panda's lifespan, but believe they live around 15 to 20 years in the wild, and around 30 years in human care, the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute said.