R.I.P. Ling Ling
Ueno Zoo’s only giant panda dies
The giant panda Ling Ling is pictured in April 2006. (Photo courtesy of Ueno Zoo)Ling Ling, the sole giant panda at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo, died in the early hours of Wednesday only one day after he was taken off display for veterinary treatment, officials said.
Veterinarians at the zoo in Taito-ku are poised to conduct an autopsy on his body in a bid to determine the cause of his death.
A worker came to the zoo on Wednesday morning to find 22-year-old Ling Ling dead in its viewing pen. After examining video surveillance footage, zoo officials concluded that he died at around 2 a.m.
Ling Ling, which is the equivalent of 70 years old in human terms, became less active at the beginning of this year. The zoo took him off display on Tuesday for veterinary treatment.
Ling Ling was born at Beijing Zoo in September 1985, and was sent to Ueno Zoo in Tokyo in 1992. He was the only giant panda for which Japan holds ownership rights.
My buddy will be devastated. I remember seeing Ling Ling on my first trip to Japan. I think he was sleeping at the time. . .
[...] A worker came to the zoo on Wednesday morning to find 22-year-old Ling Ling dead in its viewing pen. After examining video surveillance footage, zoo officials concluded that he died at around 2 a.m.5 [...]