Male panda who fathered twins born in summer dies in Vienna zoo

Vienna, December 9

Vienna's Schoenbrunn Zoo aid on Friday a 16-year-old male panda had died from a lung tumour after fathering twin cubs born last summer.

The Austrian zoo said Long Hui, who was born in China and moved with female Yang Yang to Vienna in 2003, had been under medical treatment since mid-November. An ultrasound on Tuesday showed a 10-centimetre tumour in his abdomen.

"As his condition worsened, we decided to investigate whether an operation was possible with consultation with  experts in China," zoo veterinarian Thomas Voracek said in a statement.

"Unfortunately, his heart stopped beating in anaesthesia.

The tumour would not have been operable, the lung already showed signs of dramatic changes suggesting metastasis." Long Hui and Yang Yang lived in separate enclosures but were reunited during the mating season. Yang Yang gave birth to twin cubs Fu Feng and Fu Ban in August. - Reuters