China's only captive male manul Sun Simiao. (File photo /Provided to China News Service)

China's only captive male manul choked to death on Monday morning while eating chicken, according to Xining Wildlife Park in Qinghai Province.

The Pallas' cat, named Sun Simiao, was born in 2015 and rescued by Xining Wildlife Park.

In 2021, it fathered a female manul Sun Daliang, the first successful case of Pallas' cats artificially bred in China.

Xining Wildlife Park said it will assess possible risks in its feeding management to avoid such a tragedy from happening again.