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 The BBC's Ade Akintonwa''His health had been failing for months''  real 28k  |
Cold War peace panda dies
Hsing-Hsing was becoming ill through kidney failure |
A giant panda, adored across America as a symbol of friendship between the United States and China, has died at the age of 28.
Hsing-Hsing was one of two pandas presented as a gift in 1972 to commemorate President Richard Nixon's historic trip to China, which opened diplomatic doors with the communist nation.
 Hsing-Hsing was a gift of friendship and peace ... we will all miss him  |
| Tribute from zoo staff |
Zoo spokesman Lisa Stevens said Hsing-Hsing had dined on a last meal of sweet potatoes, bamboo shoots, rice gruel and his favourite treat - a blueberry muffin.
"Hsing-Hsing began to decline noticeably over the last week and it became clear to us that we could not maintain his quality of life," she said, adding: "Everything became an effort for him.''
Popular pair
Hsing-Hsing and Ling Ling were an instant hit after they arrived in Washington in April 1972, attracting 20,000 visitors on their first day on view.
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The mating game |
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Generally solitary animals |
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Reach sexual maturity at around six years |
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Reproduce once every two years |
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Usually single cubs, occasionally twins |
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Young leave their mothers after 18 months |
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Source: World Wildlife Fund |
In recent months, Hsing-Hsing, one of the longest-surviving pandas ever, had supplemented his bamboo shoot diet with blueberry muffins in which zookeepers concealed his medicine.
Hsing-Hsing's skin and skeleton will become part of the collection at the Museum of Natural History, while his tissue and organs will be kept for scientific research.
Pandas are one of the most endangered species in the world with fewer than 1,000 pandas still living in the wild in western China.
They are notoriously reluctant to reproduce, and experts have warned the species could be extinct within 25 years.
Scientists in China are now working on a project to clone the animal.
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See also: |
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22 Jun 99 | Sci/Tech |
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Panda clone could save species |
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06 May 99 | Asia-Pacific |
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China plans panda theme park |
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21 Jul 98 | Asia-Pacific |
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Giant pandas follow Dolly |
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07 Apr 99 | Asia-Pacific |
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Panda killers jailed |
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18 Jun 99 | Sci/Tech |
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First cloned human embryo revealed |
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Internet links: |
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Roslin Institute |
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World Wildlife Fund: The threat to the panda |
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Smithsonian National Zoo |
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