Symbol of reunion with China, panda Tuan Tuan dies in Taipei - The Associated Press

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Tuan Tuan, 1 of 2 elephantine pandas talented to Taiwan from China, died Saturday aft a little illness, the Taipei Zoo said.

No origin of decease was instantly given, but earlier reports said the panda was believed to person a malignant encephalon tumor, prompting China to nonstop a brace of experts to Taiwan earlier this period to assistance with his treatment.

Tuan Tuan did not respond and aft a bid of seizures Saturday was placed successful an induced coma, according to Taiwanese quality reports.

Tuan Tuan and his mate, Yuan Yuan, were talented to the zoo successful 2008 during a clip of warming relations betwixt China and Taiwan, which divided amid civilian warfare successful 1949. Both were calved successful China successful 2004 and succeeded successful having a brace of cubs successful Taiwan.

The mean beingness span for pandas successful the chaotic is 15-20 years, portion they tin unrecorded for 30 years oregon much nether quality care.

Ties betwixt Beijing and Taipei person declined sharply successful the year’s since the pair’s arrival, with China cutting disconnected contacts successful 2016 pursuing the predetermination of independence-leaning President Tsai Ing-wen, who was reelected successful 2020.

China sends pandas overseas arsenic a motion of goodwill but maintains ownership implicit the animals and immoderate cubs they produce. An unofficial nationalist mascot, the animals are autochthonal to southwestern China, reproduce seldom and trust astir exclusively connected a fare of bamboo.

An estimated 1,800 pandas unrecorded successful the wild, portion different 500 are successful zoos oregon reserves, mostly successful Sichuan, wherever they are a protected taxon but stay nether menace from situation loss.