Ko Ko died of asphyxiation
The State Forestry Administration of China said on Saturday that Ko Ko died of asphyxiation..
The 14-year-old male panda died on September 9, 2010 at the Kobe Oji Zoo when Japanese veterinarians drugged him to collect sperm for artificial insemination.
After Ko Ko’s death, the Chinese government immediately sent a panel of experts to Japan for an investigation and found that after receiving anaesthetic, Ko Ko suffocated when “objects in its stomach went into its lungs, leading to asphyxiation”, according to Xinhua News Agency.
Earlier reports suggested experts believed the death might have been caused by an overdose of sedatives and were questioning why Japanese veterinarians were extracting semen outside the animal’s mating period.
Settlement of the panda’s death is under way in accordance with the Sino-Japanese panda breeding agreement signed in 1999. According to the agreement, Japan will pay $500,000 in compensation to China if a panda dies due to human error…
Source: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-10/04/content_11375769.htm
