Panda gifted to Taiwan by China dies

A panda gifted to Taiwan by China 14 years ago died on Saturday, Taipei Zoo anounced.

The giant panda, named Tuan Tuan, died after suffering a spate of seizures.

He was born in 2004. Pandas can live for up to 30 years under human care, and have an average life span of 15-20 years in the wild.

Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan were given to Taiwan by China in 2008, as a gesture symbolizing rapprochement between the governments. China views Taiwan as part of its territory, and relations between Beijing and Taipei have deteriorated since 2016.

What did Taipei Zoo say?

"Our medical team has confirmed that Tuan Tuan's heart stopped beating at 13:48 (05:48 GMT)," the zoo said in a statement.

The panda was given deep anesthesia to take CT scans earlier Saturday.

Veterinarians decided to "let Tuan Tuan to continue to sleep" after it was clear that his condition was "irreversible" and he could no longer "live a quality life."

Tuan Tuan began suffering seizures in August, and was observed to be increasingly lethargic. Medical scans showed the panda had a brain lesion, after which he was given anti-seizure medication.

Taipei Zoo suspected that the panda had a brain tumor and began palliative care in October.

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je thanked Tuan Tuan for "bringing happiness to Taiwanese people and making Taipei Zoo more wonderful."

China only lends pandas to foreign zoos, which must return any offspring within a few years of their birth. Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan and their offspring were fully gifted to Taiwan. The pair had two female cubs at Taipei Zoo.

sdi/kb (AP, AFP)