TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The authorities promised on Friday (Oct. 28) to expedite the processing of the application to bring in Chinese expertise to treat Tuan Tuan (團團), a giant panda sent to Taiwan in 2018 as a gift, whose health is deteriorating.
The Council of Mainland Affairs said it has received requests from Taipei Zoo to allow Chinese experts to visit Taiwan for Tuan Tuan’s treatment. The zoo said it has invited two professionals from China for a week’s stay, but details are still being hammered out, wrote ETToday.
The 18-year-old male panda started having seizure and mobility issues in August. His condition continued to worsen, with a loss of appetite, frailty, and difficulty walking due to lower limb weakness since mid-October, according to Taipei Zoo.
Tuan Tuan underwent two MRI scans, which showed expanded brain lesions. Veterinarians pointed to malignant tumors as a possible cause of the illness, but the diagnosis could not be confirmed without a biopsy, the zoo explained.
Vets have decided not to perform anesthesia or intrusive procedures for the best of the panda. The animal is now under palliative care and given nutritional supplements and treats he likes.
While Taiwan has the know-how to treat the Formosan black bear, pandas are inherently different and hence external expertise is needed, UDN quoted Pei Jai-chyi (裴家騏), professor at the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology’s Institute of Wildlife Conservation, as saying.
(Taipei Zoo images)
