Ling-Ling dies of heart failure

WASHINGTON (AP) - Ling-Ling, the National Zoo's female giant panda, has died of heart failure, but about 100 of her eggs have been saved for possible test-tube fertilisation, zoo officials said.

She and her companion, Hsing-Hsing, had delighted an estimated 63 million visitors since their arrival 20 years ago as gifts of from China. Zoo officials plan to fertilise and freeze Ling-Ling's eggs in the hope of eventually using them to impregnate another female giant panda.