Taiwan has asked Chinese veterinary experts to assist in the treatment of a critically ill male panda.
Tuan Tuan, a giant panda, was given to Taiwan by Beijing in 2008, along with his breeding partner, Yuan Yuan.
However, the 18-year-old bear has become increasingly ill, and Taiwanese zookeepers believe he has a brain tumour.
Taiwan has called on vets from mainland China to help assess Tuan Tuan as he moves into end-of-life care.
The two pandas were donated during a period of warmer relations between the neighbours, although their names combined mean “reunion” or “unity” – probably a reference to Beijing’s desire to reabsorb Taiwan one day.
Relations have since soured between China and Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a breakaway province.
Since their arrival, Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan have become huge attractions in Taiwan.
“He was small and so cute when he first got here,” Heng Ling-lin, who brought her children to Taipei Zoo to sign get-well notes, told the AFP news agency.
“He was like everybody’s baby,” she added. “It breaks my heart now to see him like this.”