LING-LING DIED OF HEART FAILURE

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, January 1, 1993                   TAG: 9301010022
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A-3   EDITION: HOLIDAY   
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short
LING-LING DIED OF HEART FAILURE
National Zoo officials on Thursday attributed the death of female giant panda Ling-Ling to heart failure and said they had preserved about 100 of her eggs for possible test-tube fertilization.
Ling-Ling was found dead in her enclosure Wednesday afternoon at feeding time.
She and her companion, Hsing-Hsing, had delighted an estimated 63 million visitors since their arrival 20 years ago as gifts of state from China.
Because giant pandas are so rare and reproduction in captivity has proven difficult, zoo officials said they took the step of removing eggs from Ling-Ling's body during an autopsy shortly after her death.
Dr. Benjamin B. Beck, acting director of the zoo, said zoo officials plan to fertilize and freeze them in hopes of eventually using them to impregnate another female giant panda.
Zoo spokeswoman Lisa Stevens said the preliminary autopsy results showed Ling-Ling's heart failed. She said Ling-Ling had shown no signs of illness, and her death was unexpected.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB