Ling Ling (giant panda)
Other name(s) | 陵陵 |
---|---|
Species | Giant panda |
Sex | Male |
Born | Beijing Zoo, China | September 5, 1985
Died | April 30, 2008 Ueno Zoo, Japan | (aged 22)
Nation from | China |
Known for | Last panda in the Ueno Zoo |
Ling Ling (陵陵, September 5, 1985 – April 30, 2008) was a male
Early years and life at the zoo
Ling Ling was born at the
The Ueno Zoo paired Ling Ling with a female panda named Tong Tong.[5] The two pandas became mates, but were unable to breed successfully and produced no offspring.[5] Tong Tong died in 2000, leaving Ling Ling as the only giant panda at the Ueno Zoo.[5] The zoo had tried unsuccessfully to have Ling Ling breed with other pandas since 2001 using artificial insemination.[5] Ling Ling was even sent out of Japan to Mexico three times in an attempt to have him mate with other pandas.[1]
Death
Ling Ling's health began to deteriorate in August 2007 due to old age, with
Despite the treatments, Ling Ling died at the Ueno Zoo at approximately 2 A.M.[5] on April 30, 2008, just one day after he was withdrawn from public exhibition.[1] A necropsy found that he had died of heart failure.[1] He was 22 years, seven months, and 5 days old,[6] which is roughly equivalent to 70 years old for a human.[1][5] According to the Ueno Zoo, Ling Ling was the oldest panda in Japan, as well as the fifth oldest known captive male panda in the world at the time of his death.[1][6] Ling Ling's portrait and favorite food, bamboo shoots, were displayed in his cage following his death.[1] Zoo visitors left bouquets of flowers and signed condolence registers.[7]
Legacy
Ling Ling's death left the Ueno Zoo without a resident giant panda for the first time in 36 years;
Ling Ling was the only giant panda in Japan which was directly owned by the
Following Ling Ling's death,
for two more pandas.Ling Ling's death in April 2008 marked the second high profile death of an "elderly" captive panda in less than one month. On April 2, 2008, Taotao, the oldest giant panda in captivity in China, died at the Jinan Zoo at the age of 36.[8]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Japan's oldest giant panda dies of heart failure". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. 2008-04-30. Archived from the original on May 2, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
- ^ "Japan's oldest giant panda dies". Associated Press. 2008-04-29. Archived from the original on May 1, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
- ^ "Tokyo's beloved panda dies at 22". Agence France-Presse. 2008-04-30. Archived from the original on 2008-05-01. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
- Time Magazine. Archived from the originalon May 1, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Ueno Zoo's only panda dies at 22". Yomiuri Shimbun. 2008-04-30. Archived from the original on 2008-05-01. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
- ^ Japan Times. 2008-05-01. Archived from the originalon 2008-05-02. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
- ^ Daily Yomiuri. 2008-05-03. Archived from the originalon 2008-05-06. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
- ^ "Oldest captive panda dies in Shandong". China Radio International. China Daily. 2008-04-03. Retrieved 2008-04-17.