Oldest Panda Dies

IndaMerit-Amun

BERLIN (AP) — The Berlin zoo says Bao Bao, who was given to West Germany by China in 1980 and was one of the world's oldest giant pandas, has died.

The zoo said the 34-year-old bear died early Wednesday in his enclosure after his health deteriorated over the last several months.

Bao Bao was born in 1978 in China and later given as a gift by then-Chinese leader Hua Guofeng to West Germany's chancellor, Helmut Schmidt. Hua, Mao Zedong's successor, also gave Germany female panda Tjen Tjen at the same time, but she died in 1984.

Bao Bao was loaned to London's zoo between 1991 and 1993 as a potential — but ultimately unsuccessful — mate for its panda, Ming Ming.

The zoo says Bao Bao was the world's oldest known male panda.

This information is from AOL.

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8/22/1212:59 PM

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Sue 1Member

This is a bit sad, but Bao bao did have a long life.
May Bao Bao enjoy the bamboo and all his friends in heaven.

Love,
Sue

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8/22/121:07 PM

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Vicky2Member

May Bao Bao enjoy animal heaven, and have a good time with the other animals that have passed away.

Love,
Vicky

The oldest male panda in the world, a gift from China to former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt, died Wednesday aged 34 in Berlin, its zoo said.

Bao Bao, the last remaining panda in Germany, was a present from then Chinese communist leader Hua Guofeng to Mr Schmidt during a state visit in November 1980.

The panda lived with its companion Tjen Tjen until her death in 1984 and then was alone in Berlin, despite an unsuccessful attempt to mate him with a female panda called Ming Ming in London in 1991.

During another Chinese state visit, this time by Li Peng in 1994, another panda was promised to the zoo and one year later Yan Yan arrived in Berlin.

Again, all attempts to persuade Yan Yan and Bao Bao to mate proved unsuccessful and the female died in 2007 aged 22.

Bao Bao died "peacefully in his sleep" early in the morning in his enclosure, the zoo said. An autopsy is underway to determine the cause of death.

"Bao Bao will never be forgotten," zoo official Heiner Kloes said in a sombre statement.

China is famed for its "panda diplomacy", using the bears as diplomatic gifts to other countries.

About 1600 remain in the wild in China, with some 300 others in captivity worldwide - mostly in China.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new...in-article-1.1141871

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