It is a sound dreaded by sleep-starved parents around the world: the piercing wail of a newborn demanding immediate attention. Yet last week all Japan seemed to be hanging on the phone to hear an infant shriek. The sound comes from a baby panda born June 1 at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo. Its plaintive cries were recorded, and can be heard by those dialing a special toll number. Word of the hot line caused pandemonium, and as many as 200,000 calls a day were logged. Zoo officials hope the baby's 226-lb. mother has become nimbler since last year, when she accidentally crushed...
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