Panda Tuan Tuan, symbol of reunion with China, dies in Taipei

Taipei Tuan Tuan, one of two giant pandas donated to Taiwan from China, died Saturday, according to the Taipei Zoo.

A cause of death was not immediately revealed, but previous reports suggested the panda was thought to have a malignant brain tumor, prompted by China. Dispatch an expert pair to Taiwan Earlier this month to help him heal.

Taiwanese news reports said Tuan Tuan did not respond and fell into an induced coma on Saturday after a series of seizures.

Tuan Tuan and his companion Yuan Yuan were donated to the zoo in 2008, during a time of good relations between China and Taiwan, torn apart by the 1949 civil war. Both of them were born in China in 2004 and have successfully fathered two cubs. in Taiwan.

Pandas in the wild have an average lifespan of 15 to 20 years, but can live up to 30 years or more if cared for by humans.

China cut ties in 2016, following the election of independence-minded President Tsai Ing-wen, who was re-elected in 2020.

China sends pandas out of the country as a sign of friendship, but retains ownership of pandas and their offspring. An unofficial national mascot, this animal is native to southwestern China, breeds rarely and feeds mainly on bamboo.

An estimated 1,800 pandas live in the wild, with the remaining 500 in zoos and reserves, mostly protected in Sichuan, but threatened by habitat loss.