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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/18/taipei-zoo-stages-proof-of-life-shot-with-panda-tuan-tuan
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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Taipei zoo stages 'proof of life' shot with panda rumoured dead | Taipei zoo stages 'proof of life' shot with panda rumoured dead |
| (4 months later) | |
| The subject of the photo looks out from behind bars, with newspapers arranged in front of him to prove what day it is. This “proof of life” shot is not a scene from a kidnapping but an effort by the Taipei zoo to debunk rumours that a prized panda recently died. | The subject of the photo looks out from behind bars, with newspapers arranged in front of him to prove what day it is. This “proof of life” shot is not a scene from a kidnapping but an effort by the Taipei zoo to debunk rumours that a prized panda recently died. |
| Photos released by the zoo this week show 11-year-old Tuan Tuan looking at the papers laid out in front of his inner enclosure. The zoo’s director said in a statement that Tuan Tuan, his partner, Yuan Yuan, and their cub, Tuan Zai, are all fine. | Photos released by the zoo this week show 11-year-old Tuan Tuan looking at the papers laid out in front of his inner enclosure. The zoo’s director said in a statement that Tuan Tuan, his partner, Yuan Yuan, and their cub, Tuan Zai, are all fine. |
| “We welcome everyone to visit them at the zoo,” Chin Shih-chien said. | “We welcome everyone to visit them at the zoo,” Chin Shih-chien said. |
| The website of China’s official Communist party newspaper, Global Times, had reported that the panda had died of canine distemper, sending the story racing across the Chinese-language internet. | The website of China’s official Communist party newspaper, Global Times, had reported that the panda had died of canine distemper, sending the story racing across the Chinese-language internet. |
| The paper later retracted the story and apologised for not checking its facts, a potentially egregious error given the political sensitivity surrounding the panda pair. | The paper later retracted the story and apologised for not checking its facts, a potentially egregious error given the political sensitivity surrounding the panda pair. |
| Giant pandas live in the wild only in China, and Beijing has often used overseas gifts of the animals to make political statements about its relationship with other governments. | Giant pandas live in the wild only in China, and Beijing has often used overseas gifts of the animals to make political statements about its relationship with other governments. |
| Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, whose combined names translate as Reunion, were sent by Beijing to Taiwan in December 2008 following the election of the China-friendly Ma Ying-jeou as the island’s leader. | Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, whose combined names translate as Reunion, were sent by Beijing to Taiwan in December 2008 following the election of the China-friendly Ma Ying-jeou as the island’s leader. |
| The rumours of Tuan Tuan’s death came just days before the inauguration of Ma’s successor, Tsai Ing-wen, whose party formally supports Taiwan’s formal independence from China. | The rumours of Tuan Tuan’s death came just days before the inauguration of Ma’s successor, Tsai Ing-wen, whose party formally supports Taiwan’s formal independence from China. |
| Beijing claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary. | Beijing claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary. |