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16-year-old panda dies in Austrian zoo

Xinhua, December 10, 2016 Adjust font size:

The 16-year-old panda Long Hui died on Friday during an emergency examination at the Schonbrunn Zoo in Vienna, the zoo said.

An ultrasound examination conducted on the male panda on Tuesday had revealed a 10-centimeter-large tumour in his abdomen, the zoo stated in statement.

Zoo vet Thomas Voracek said discussions were held with experts in China over whether an operation was possible, before it was decided a CT scan would be carried out.

He said Long Hui's heart had however stopped beating while under narcosis. It was also found that the tumour would have been inoperable, with the lungs having already showed massive changes, indicating metastasis.

The zoo said the panda had already shown rapidly deteriorating health and had been under intensive medical care since mid-November.

"We still cannot believe it," said zoo director Dagmar Schratter, adding that "Long Hui will be missed by us all."

The giant panda, born on Sept. 26, 2000, in Wolong, China, was moved to the Vienna zoo in March 2003. Endit