Panda recovers after intestinal surgery

Mao Tao, a 4-year-old male panda at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan province, has recovered well from intestinal surgery performed nearly two months ago, the base announced on Wednesday.

On Feb 8, Mao Tao suddenly began vomiting foam liquid and food residue. He began showing signs of mental depression.

The veterinary team at the base performed a series of detailed examinations. The results showed that the panda had an obstruction in the duodenum, the intestine just beyond the stomach.

Two days later, veterinarians and surgeons from a hospital in Chengdu operated on the panda in a procedure that lasted more than an hour. They identfied and removed the obstruction, whis was a mass of bamboo residue. Its diet was changed to bamboo powder and nutrient solutions that were easier to digest.

Now, Mao Tao has been restored to basic health and is back to eating his normal diet of bamboo shoots. As measured by a healthy volume of fecal matter — 23 kilograms per day — he is doing well, the base said.