The Koala bear known to millions as "Action" was pronounced dead at Taipei Zoo around 11:05am yesterday. The four-year-old male koala is the first adult koala to die at the zoo, Chinese-language media reported yesterday.
According to the veterinarians at the zoo, Action had been showing signs of illness in recent days. He was also having digestion problems.
"Action's oral cavity, gullet and stomach were infected with fungi," said Chao Ming-chieh
Although the veterinarians injected Action with antibiotics, his condition had not improved and his health had grown consistently worse. The veterinarians also tried to feed him with eucalyptus leaves, but the marsupial seemed to have lost his appetite.
Later, Action suffered from an exhaustion of liver and kidney functions. The veterinarians immediately put an oxygen mask on him. However, his breathing and heartbeat soon stopped and he could not be revived.
An Australian veterinarian is coming to Taiwan today to study the cause of Action's death. "The zoo veterinarians have never operated on a koala before," Chao said yesterday. "So we called the Australian Currienbin Zoo to send its medical experts to rescue Action."
"But its veterinarians were on vacation and were unable to come until [today]," Chao added.
Action -- one of the Taipei Zoo's five koalas -- came to Taiwan with two female koalas, Liggy and Eva, from Australia last September. They have been extremely popular among visitors.
On Sept. 6, a baby koala -- the offspring of Action and Eva -- also died after the inexperienced mother accidentally crushed it.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS