WORLD : Emergency Team Saves Pandas

BEIJING — Emergency medical care at a Chinese zoo saved two star performing pandas that had become critically ill because of intestinal problems, an official newspaper reported.

The Liberation Daily said today that the pandas at the Fuzhou Zoo in southeastern Fujian province were near death when their condition was diagnosed as acute intestinal inflammation and intestinal blockage.

The diagnosis was made early this month after zoo officials held urgent consultations with medical and animal experts, the newspaper said. After nine days of special treatment, Qingqing and Yuanyuan recovered, it said.

Qingqing, 15, and Yuanyuan, 9, have performed for audiences around the world, including stops in the United States, Australia and Hong Kong. Their popular stunts include riding bicycles, doing somersaults and dunking a basketball.