Exchanges between Taipei and cities in China, including adding a new panda to Taipei Zoo, would be beneficial, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said yesterday.
Chiang made the remarks in response to a question about reports that China might gift Taipei a giant panda.
Taiwanese online news outlet Storm Media yesterday reported that with the lifting of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) major victories in last year’s local elections, the Chinese government would seek to foster positive cross-strait relations this year.
Photo: CNA
The report said that following visits to China by high-ranking KMT officials, Beijing would give Taipei a new giant panda, after the death last year of Taipei Zoo’s male giant panda Tuan Tuan (團團), also previously gifted by China.
When asked about the report, Chiang said that exchanges between cities or receiving a new panda would be beneficial to Taipei.
He said he would ask Taipei Zoo and the city government’s cross-strait affairs task force to look into the matter, and that he would publicize any preliminary conclusions from such discussions.
Chiang was speaking on the sidelines of a Taipei Rapid Transit Corp event featuring a special MRT train exclusively for pets, to celebrate International Pet Day tomorrow.
Thirty-six pet owners and 42 pets — small and medium-sized dogs and cats — were preregistered to ride the train.
The pets were required to wear harnesses and leashes at all times during the journey, but were allowed to explore the train freely with their owners.
The short train ride was only a trial run for the city government to gather opinions from pet owners and animal welfare groups, Chiang said.
As more than 210,000 cats and dogs are registered in Taipei, the city government views animal protection as an important issue, and plans to add two more dog parks this year and work with community colleges to promote life education, he said.
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