Undated file photo shows an image of the giant male panda Tuan Tuan when arriving at the Taipei Zoo in Taipei, Southeast China's Taiwan. Photo: Xinhua

The specimen of giant panda Tuan Tuan, who died last year, is scheduled to be unveiled in 2024, Taipei Zoo announced on Friday. Tuan Tuan was previously gifted by the Chinese mainland to Taiwan island.

The production of Tuan Tuan's specimen has been completed, in accordance with the relevant regulations. The zoo will plan the endangered species display area, which is expected to open by mid-2024, the zoo said.

Tuan Tuan, a giant male panda, died in November 2022 under anesthetic, Taipei Zoo announced at the time. Tuan Tuan became ill in late August 2022 when he suddenly suffered seizures. A medical scan showed that he had brain edema and necrosis, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Tuan Tuan and the female panda Yuan Yuan arrived in Taipei as a goodwill gift from the Chinese mainland in December 2008.

Tuan Tuan is the only male giant panda in the island, with irreplaceable and unique international attention and historical value. The zoo discussed what to do with relevant professionals before Tuan Tuan's passing, and decided to focus on the scientific preservation and research value, striving to preserve Tuan Tuan's fur, bones, and living cells as much as possible, to help with research into improving wildlife medical care and caregiving, according to the zoo.

Chen Yi-tsung, director of the zoo, said that the zoo currently houses hundreds of specimens of species, including pangolins and Bornean orangutans, which have significant and irreplaceable value for academic research.

The zoo will hold a memorial event for Tuan Tuan on the first anniversary of his death.

Efforts to protect giant pandas have continued in recent years. The national giant panda conservation and research center, a world-class platform for giant panda research cooperation, was inaugurated on Friday in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Global Times