Japan's oldest giant panda dies
TOKYO
(AP) — Japan's oldest giant panda, Ling Ling, a longtime star at
Tokyo's largest zoo and a symbol of friendship with China, died
Wednesday of heart failure, zoo keepers said.
Ling
Ling was 22 years and seven months old, equivalent to about 70 human
years, the Ueno Zoo said. It said he was the fifth-oldest known male
panda in the world.
Ling
Ling had lost his appetite and strength because of his old age, and
recently suffered from heart and kidney problems, zoo official Motoyasu
Ida said.
Keepers
and visitors mourned the panda, which was the zoo's most popular
attraction for more than 15 years. Public broadcaster NHK showed many
visitors writing condolence messages, with some brushing away tears.
Ling Ling died just one day after the zoo withdrew him from public view because of his worsening health.
Born
at China's Beijing Zoo in 1985, Ling Ling came to Tokyo in 1992. He had
traveled to Mexico three times in recent years for unsuccessful mating.
