Giant Panda Dies Of Cancer In Chinese Zoo

Despite the best efforts of doctors and the well-wishes of children, a female giant panda died of cancer at a zoo in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou.

Shunshun, who was 17, was the zoo’s only giant panda and was cherished by the city’s residents. Students saddened by her plight visited the zoo in her last days to “comfort” the animal, the Xinhua News Agency reported Saturday.

It said doctors removed a tumor from the panda’s back last year but failed to stop the cancer from spreading.

Pandas can live to be about 30 years old.

The giant panda, native only to China, is an extremely endangered species.

Only 1,000 are thought to survive in the wild, and poaching and destruction of their habitat remain serious threats.