[1][2] He served as an important symbol of the Ueno Zoo and of friendship between Japan and China.

[5] The two pandas became mates, but were unable to breed successfully and produced no offspring.

[1] Zoo visitors left bouquets of flowers and signed condolence registers.

[7] Ling Ling's death left the Ueno Zoo without a resident giant panda for the first time in 36 years;[7] since October 1972 when two pandas, Kang Kang and Lan Lan, were given to the zoo to mark the normalization of bilateral relations between Japan and China.

[7] The Ueno Zoo is reportedly consulting the Japanese Foreign Ministry about obtaining a new panda from China.

[1] Six of the Chinese pandas are currently housed at Adventure World, which is located in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, while two other pandas resident at the Kobe Municipal Oji Zoo in Kobe.

On April 2, 2008, Taotao, the oldest giant panda in captivity in China, died at the Jinan Zoo at the age of 36.