Ling Ling the Giant Panda of Ueno Zoo

Ling Ling (陵陵^?, September 1985 – April 30, 2008) was a male Chinese-born, giant panda who resided at the Ueno Zoo, the largest zoo in Tokyo, Japan.^[1]

At the time of his death at the age of 22, Ling Ling was the only giant panda at the Ueno Zoo and the oldest panda in Japan.^[1][2]

He served as an important symbol of the Ueno Zoo and of friendship between Japan and China.^[1]

Ling Ling, who was given to Japan in 1992, was the only giant panda in the country who was directly owned by Japan.^[1][3] There are eight other giant pandas in Japan as of April 2008, but they are all on loan to Japan from China.^[1] Despite being a male panda, Ling Ling's name meant "darling little girl" in Chinese.^[4]

The Ueno Zoo (恩賜上野動物園 Onshi Ueno Dōbutsuen^?) is a 14.3-hectare (35-acre) zoo, managed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and located in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. It is Japan's oldest zoo, opening on March 20, 1882.