Taipei Zoo

Taipei Zoo found out Tuan-Tuan gradually lost control of his lower body and appetite, and because of that, he has been found having trouble eating, excreting, and moving since then. As the result, Tuan-Tuan was sent to NTU Veterinary Hospital for an MRI scan on October 22nd.

No epilepsy-like symptom was spotted before October 15th since Tuan-Tuan was found with unusual activities on August 31st, and Tuan-Tuan’s appetite recovered during that time. However, as trainers were training Tuan-Tuan in the afternoon on October 16th for his display on October 18th, trainers found out Tuan-Tuan began to lose control of his lower body and couldn’t really follow orders, and he started to move slowly and didn’t eat much on October 17th. For that reason, the healthcare team decided Tuan-Tuan would stay in the backroom of the arena for further observation on October 17th morning.

The weight of Tuan-Tuan’s Defecation had reached the standard of a healthy appetite, 10 kg, and on some days was even heavier than 15 kg for the whole October, except the only time on October 12nd, it was 9.6 kg. Nevertheless, on October 16th, Tuan-Tuan started to lose both his appetite and control of his legs. After the examination, the vet claimed that the cause might be from its brain because there was no infection on Tuan-Tuan. All Tuan-Tuan’s bamboo intake, excretion, and activity level have been declining to less than half since then, and Tuan-Tuan couldn’t touch the training stick as the trainer gave him orders anymore due to his powerless lower body.

The healthcare team of Taipei Zoo came up with some solutions after discussing with medical experts on October 16th. The vet administrated medication infusion and nurses added plenty of supplements such as protein, vitamin B, vitamin E, complements, and dietary fiber into Tuan-Tuan’s diet. They also fed him more water every day to help him stay strong. Other than that, the healthcare team also made an MRI scan appointment for Tuan-Tuan on October 22nd at NTU Veterinary Hospital.

After the 3-hour-long examination, Dr. Chi-Xian Huang monitored the whole process of anesthesia himself to lower the risk, and Tuan-Tuan regained his consciousness at around 1 pm on October 22nd. Taipei Zoo will discuss with experts once the results come out.

Tuan-Tuan’s profile on October 24th, 2022

1. Weight: 121.8 kg (September average: 113.46 kg)
2. Bamboo intake: 6.6 kg (September average: 12.33 kg)
3. Defecation: 8.4 kg (September average: 11.32 kg)
4. Activity: Tuan-Tuan spent most time resting.