Taiwan has asked Chinese experts to help treat a male panda that has fallen seriously ill. Tuan Tuan- the giant panda- was gifted to Taiwan by Beijing in 2008. China had also gifted Tuan Tuan’s breeding partner Yuan Yuan then.
Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan’s names combined mean “reunion” or “unity” and they have become huge attractions in Taiwan since their arrival.
As the 18-year-old Tuan Tuan has become very unwell, zookeepers in Taiwan suspect he has a brain tumour which is why Taiwan has called on vets from China to help Tuan Tuan.
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Although it is not clear when vets from China will arrive to take care of Tuan Tuan, Taiwan officials have said they are processing visa applications for the experts.
“The main purpose is to visit Tuan Tuan and see his present condition. They expressed their desire to come in person to visit Tuan Tuan. I also think it will be a very meaningful trip,” Eve Wang, animal section chief of Taipei city zoo said.
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The invitation comes at a time when relations have soured between China and Taiwan. Beijing regards Taiwan as a breakaway province and tensions between the two intensified dramatically after US house speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visited Taiwan in August. Beijing responded with its largest ever military drills in the Taiwan Strait and around Taiwan.
