Tears at quake zone panda funeral

BEIJING, China (CNN) -- Tearful researchers at the world's most famous panda reserve in China on Tuesday buried one of their animals killed by the massive earthquake that hit the country last month.

The body of nine year-old giant panda Mao Mao was placed into a wooden coffin and buried in a simple funeral ceremony on a hill in the vast Wolong Panda Reserve Center in southwestern China's Sichuan Province.

Mao Mao's keeper, He Changgui, wept as he placed apples and a slice of bread -- food enjoyed by the animal -- on her gravestone as a funeral offering, The Associated Press reported.

"I will go back to see her every day," He said. Watch how quake has affected pands »

Another Wolong panda, Xiao Xiao, has been missing since the quake, AP reported.

About 130 giant pandas live in the center. Another 150 wild pandas lived on the Wolong reserve before the quake struck, but researchers say it's unclear how many of the wild pandas survived.

Pandas, which have very restrictive diet and living requirements, have become an endangered species in recent years as their mountain habitats are increasingly under threat. Captive panda mating programs have had only limited success.

More than 69,000 people died in the May 12 earthquake, but more than 17,000 remain missing, according to the official government toll. The maginitude 7.9 quake caused massive damage across Sichuan province.

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