A giant panda died suddenly Thursday night at Jinan Zoo in east China's Shandong Province, zoo officials said Friday.

The death occurred at 10 p.m. Thursday inside a former air-raid shelter where zoo keepers had brought the panda, named Quan Quan, to escape the summer heat, said Liu Jungang, the spokesman for Jinan Zoo.

Experts and zoo staff are currently investigating the cause of death, said Liu.

The female panda Quan Quan, a superstar of Jinan Zoo and a "heroic mother", has given birth to seven cubs.

Quan Quan arrived at Jinan zoo three years ago. Now, at the age of 21, the panda was the equivalent age of a woman more than 70 years old.

Giant pandas are among the most endangered species in the world, with only a few thousand living in the wild, mountainous areas of southwest China. Enditem