News In Brief

Romance blooms as spring arrives at Panda House

Ling-Ling the giant panda got into the spring of things Monday and mated with her partner, Hsing-Hsing. It was the second time the roly-poly pandas, the Washington zoo's most popular attractions, mated naturally since they arrived from the People's Republic of China in 1972.

Giant pandas are solitary and pair only for breeding. Ling-Ling and her mate live in separate quarters at the zoo's Panda House, but occasionally play on a slope behind their quarters.