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24-year old panda Le Le dies at Memphis Zoo

24-year old panda Le Le dies at Memphis Zoo
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By The Associated Press
Feb. 05, 2023 | MEMPHIS
By The Associated Press Feb. 05, 2023 | 01:32 PM | MEMPHIS
Giant panda Le Le has died, the Memphis Zoo announced Friday.

The panda, born July 18, 1998, died Wednesday, zoo spokesperson Rebecca Winchester said in an email. His cause of death has yet to be determined as a medical investigation is pending.

Le Le’s peaceful death as he slept was “sudden and unexpected” with no indication that he was sick, zoo President and CEO Matt Thompson said at a news conference Friday. Nothing in video footage from the days leading up to Le Le’s death indicated that there was anything wrong with him, he said.

Le Le had been at the zoo since 2003 and was expected to return to China soon with female panda Ya Ya as a loan agreement ended with the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens.

“Le Le’s name translates to ‘happy happy,’ and his name perfectly reflected his personality,” the zoo said in a statement. “Le Le was a happy bear that enjoyed apples, engaging with enrichment and relaxing while covering himself with freshly shredded bamboo. He had an easy-going personality and was a favorite of all who met and worked with him over the years.”

The life expectancy of a giant panda in the wild is about 15 years, but in captivity they have lived to be as old as 38. Decades of conservation efforts in the wild and study in captivity saved the giant panda from extinction, increasing its population from fewer than 1,000 at one time to more than 1,800 in the wild and captivity.



Ya Ya, the resident female panda at the Memphis Zoo, snacks on bamboo in her enclosure on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023. Ya Ya has been at the Memphis Zoo since 2003 alongside Le Le, who passed away Wednesday. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian via AP)
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