April Fools’ Story About Panda Euthanasia Went ‘Too Far,’ Taiwan Mayor Says

Yesterday sites owned by Hong Kong media conglomerate Next Media put out a hilarious story about a panda in a Taiwan zoo that was infected with parasites and had to be put down. Panda death! Hysterical! Well, apparently Taiwanese authorities were actually worried about the report and actually checked on the panda at the Taipei zoo to make sure it was okay.

Yuan Yuan is a well-loved panda in Taiwan, so the story set off people’s alarms, despite yesterday being the day everyone pulls fast ones on each other in the spirit of the season. The prank, however, may have gone a wee bit too far.

The story sparked immediate concern from local media, and saw the concerned Taipei government rush to check with zoo authorities whether it was true.

“All the three pandas have been in good shape,” Taipei mayor Hua Lung-bin said, according to a spokesman. “We don’t know the motive of the story. The joke has been taken too far.”

Listen, you can make lame jokes about switching your politics and give people toothpaste-filled Oreos all you want, but when you joke that a panda could die, you have gone too far.

[h/t Raw Story]
[photo via Shutterstock]

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Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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