Symbol of reunion with China, panda Tuan Tuan dies in Taipei
Tuan Tuan, one of two giant pandas gifted to Taiwan from China as a symbol of hoped-for reunion between the sides, has died
By AP News
Published - Nov 19, 2022, 03:55 AM ET
Last Updated - Jun 23, 2023, 12:34 PM EDT
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Tuan Tuan, one of two giant pandas gifted to Taiwan from China, died Saturday after a brief illness, the Taipei Zoo said.
No cause of death was immediately given, but earlier reports said the panda was believed to have a malignant brain tumor, prompting China to send a pair of experts to Taiwan earlier this month to help with his treatment.
Tuan Tuan did not respond and after a series of seizures Saturday was placed in an induced coma, according to Taiwanese news reports.
Tuan Tuan and his mate, Yuan Yuan, were gifted to the zoo in 2008 during a time of warming relations between China and Taiwan, which split amid civil war in 1949. Both were born in China in 2004 and succeeded in having a pair of cubs in Taiwan.
