Japan's oldest giant panda dies

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Ling Ling. Photo: EFE

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.

Ida said an autopsy found Ling Ling died of heart failure. 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.

Ling Ling was the only giant panda owned by Japan, with eight other pandas elsewhere in the country all loaned by China, according to media reports.