Panda Quan Quan’s death blamed on gas poisoning
July 28th, 2010 - 1:06 am ICT by Aishwarya BhattBeijing, July 27 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Quan Quan, the 21 year old beloved panda was killed by gas poisoning, according to Chinese officials.
Officials say the panda, which is 70 years in panda age, was killed by Carbon Monoxide and Chlorine that was coming from a former air raid shelter, which was being treated at the time. The structure is closer to the Jinan Zoo, which housed the animal. Veterinary officers said the animal died when its lungs collapsed due to the inhaled gas. It is not clear how the gas got into the ventilation system of the zoo.
The Chinese media particularly loved Quan Quan because she mothered 7 cubs. They dubbed her “heroic mother”.
China is home to most of the world’s pandas. The country currently has about 250 pandas in captivity and it is estimated that only about 1,000 of the animals are still roaming in the wild across the world. The pandas that are considered endangered species are Chinese treasures and the death of Quan Quan will mount pressure on Beijing to properly care for the animals.
The animal belonged to Wolong Panda Breeding Center in Sichuan. The center is the world’s largest home for pandas in captivity. The animal was loaned to the Jinan Zoo.
Several people and the media also paid tribute to the panda, which died on Wednesday.
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Tags: air raid shelter, beijing, breeding center, carbon monoxide, chinese media, chinese officials, chinese treasures, chlorine, cubs, endangered species, gas poisoning, lungs, panda, pandas, pandas in captivity, quan, sichuan, ventilation system, veterinary officers, zoo