A zoo spokeswoman, Rebecca Winchester, said in an email that the male panda, born on July 18, 1998, died on Wednesday, and that the cause of death has not yet been determined because the medical investigation is still ongoing.
“The meaning of Li Li’s name is Saeed Saeed, and it is a name that perfectly reflects his personality,” the statement added. Li Li was a happy bear who liked to gorge on apples, and lounging while covering himself with freshly cut bamboo. He was also the favorite animal of everyone who worked with him over the years.”
Li Li has been at the zoo since 2003, and was expected to return to China soon with the female panda Ya Ya as his loan under an agreement with the Chinese Association of Zoos had expired.
The average life expectancy of giant pandas in the wild is about 15 years, but in captivity they can live up to 38 years.
Decades of efforts to preserve them in the wild and study their conditions in captivity saved the giant panda from extinction, which led to an increase in its numbers from less than 1,000 to more than 1,800 in the wild and in captivity combined.
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