Beloved panda gifted by China to Taiwan dies

A symbol of warmer ties

A panda that China gifted to Taiwan 14 years ago as a symbol of what were then warmer ties died on Saturday after suffering a spate of seizures, Taipei Zoo said. Tuan Tuan and his breeding mate Yuan Yuan were given to Taiwan by Beijing in late 2008, at a time when relations between the two were more cordial. "Our medical team has confirmed that Tuan Tuan's heart stopped beating at 13:48 (05:48 GMT)," the zoo said in a short statement. The panda was put under deep anaesthesia to take CT scans earlier Saturday, and the team decided to "let Tuan Tuan continue to sleep" after the results indicated his condition was "irreversible", and that he could no longer "live a quality life", zoo officials said.