TAIPEI, Taiwan — Tuan Tuan, a male giant panda gifted by China to Taiwan 13 years ago as a symbol of warmer ties between the two nations, died Saturday after suffering several seizures, officials at the Taipei Zoo said. He was 18.
No cause of death was immediately given, but it was believed the panda had a malignant brain tumor, The Associated Press reported. China sent a pair of experts, but the animal did not respond and was placed in an induced coma, according to news organizations in Taiwan.
“Our medical team has confirmed that Tuan Tuan’s heart stopped beating at 13.48,” the zoo said in a statement, according to Agence France-Presse. In a separate statement, zoo officials said Tuan Tuan’s condition was “irreversible” and that he could no longer “live a quality life.”
Veterinarians first noticed that the panda was ill in August, according to the news organization. He began suffering seizures and appeared unsteady and lethargic.
Tuan Tuan and his breeding mate, Yuan Yuan, were given to Taiwan by Beijing in late 2008 as part of China’s “panda diplomacy,” when relations between the two nations were more cordial, the AP reported.
The couple became huge stars in Taiwan and Yuan Yuan has given birth to two female cubs, according to AFP.
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