RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne. The zoo in Taiwan has proved its prized panda is alive and well after Chinese media published stories that Tuan Tuan had died. He'd been a valuable gift from China, so that didn't look good. The Taipei Zoo responded by posting a proof of life normally reserved for kidnapped humans. A photo of the precious panda posed behind that day's newspapers, very much alive, along with the message don't believe rumors. It's MORNING EDITION.
Chinese newspapers have reported that 11-year-old Tuan Tuan died of distemper. Not so, the Taipei Zoo says — releasing photos of the panda, complete with recent newspapers, as evidence.