Tan Tan, the female panda, was under treatment after being found with heart disease in March 2021. She is believed to have died from prostration caused by the disease.
According to the zoo, a zookeeper found Tan Tan in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest shortly past 10 pm Sunday, and her death was confirmed at 11.56 pm after a veterinarian performed resuscitation.
Tan Tan came to Japan in 2000, along with a male giant panda, Kou Kou, for joint breeding research between Japan and China. Kou Kou died in 2010.
Tan Tan "came soon after the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, which hit Kobe hard, gave courage to Kobe citizens and fans in Japan, and witnessed Kobe's reconstruction," Yujiro Kako, the zoo's 55-year-old director, told a news conference.
Tan Tan's return to China was decided in 2020, but was postponed due to the spread of COVID-19 and her illness. Experts were then sent from China to provide her with medication and other treatment.
The zoo plans to set up a platform for memorial flowers on Tuesday. It will consult with a relevant Chinese government body about whether it will breed new pandas.
-- BERNAMA
