Newborn lamb of gift goat from Taiwan dies in E. China
0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail
Xinhua, January 17, 2012
The baby of a long-maned goat sent by Taiwan as a gift to the Chinese mainland died four days after it was born in eastern Shandong province, local authorities said Monday.
An autopsy found that the male lamb, named Tian Tian, or Sweetie, died of congenital interstitial pneumonia at 7:37 p.m. Sunday at the Liugongdao National Forest Park in the city of Weihai, said a spokesman with the provincial Taiwan affairs office.
The lamb was found to be dehydrated at around 2 a.m. Saturday, and died after 32 hours of emergency treatments carried out by both local and Taiwan zoologists failed, the spokesman said.
Tian Tian contracted pneumonia after inhaling meconium in its mother's amniotic fluid before its birth, he said.
The lamb was delivered by its mother, Leyangyang, or Happy Goat, at 12:48 a.m. at the park on Wednesday, he said.
Long-maned goats are an endangered species indigenous to Taiwan.
The mother goat, along with her partner, Xiyangyang, or Merry Goat, and a pair of deer, arrived at the Liugongdao National Forest Park in April last year.
Half a year later, the female deer gave birth to a fawn in the park.
The goats and deer were sent as gifts to the mainland after a pair of giant pandas, Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, whose names together mean "reunion," were flown to Taiwan in December 2008 to boost cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation.
Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)