Chinese officials suggested that a trip by a giant panda to Dublin Zoo may have contributed to its death, according to a new file released under the State Papers.
In June 1986, Ming Ming and Ping Ping arrived to Dublin for a special three-month visit, that attracted around 400,000 people to its enclosure.
During the trip, RTÉ inquired about potentially having a giant panda appear on the Late Late Show in 1986, a new file released as part of the State Papers has shown.
However, Chinese officials expressed their "considerable reluctance" to the request due to animal welfare concerns.
One memo showed how the officials noted that "brightly lit and hot television studios are not the most favourable panda environments" and questioned why a video tape recorded at the zoo would not suffice for the Gay Byrne-hosted programme.
The visit to RTÉ was ultimately scrapped, with one document stating: "The director fully understands the concerns expressed by the Chinese authorities and plans for the Late Late Show appearance have been dropped."
The two giant pandas arrived from Chengdu in June 1986 for a 100-day visit to Dublin Zoo, one which was at the time hailed as a "great success".
The visit came after months of planning between Irish and Chinese officials, with Dick Spring, who was tánaiste at the time, launching the visit.
As Mr Spring took the microphone to make his speech, one newspaper report stated that apes at the zoo began to go wild and shout.
The then Labour Party leader reportedly quipped that the gibbons were "probably Fianna Fáil supporters".
Liam Kavanagh, who was minister for tourism at the time, spoke at the closing ceremony on 20 September 1986 before the pandas returned to China.
He said the visit was a "major boost" and a "significant coup" for both Dublin Zoo and the Irish public, describing it as one of the most memorable moments in the zoo's history.
"I would like to commend the Zoo authorities on their vision in bringing such fascinating animals to our attention and giving us all this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Ping Ping and Ming Ming," Mr Kavanagh said.
"By all accounts, the two pandas settled in very well here during their 100 days and they appear to be in good shape for their return journey tomorrow. In their relatively short time with us they have given great enjoyment to thousands of people," he added.
However, the trip took a sad turn as two years after returning to China, Ping Ping, the male panda, died – and there was a suggestion his Irish visit may have contributed to his death.
In a file released under this year’s State Papers, staff at Dublin Zoo were said to be "distressed" by the suggestion.
Dublin Zoo subsequently requested a copy of Ping Ping’s post-mortem report.
A document from the Department of Foreign Affairs on 17 August 1998 stated that Dublin Zoo officials had informed the department of Ping Ping’s death.
It read: "They have read a report that he is dead and that there is a suggestion that his death was a consequence of visit here.
"They are somewhat distressed and have asked if [the] embassy could obtain a copy of the post-mortem report and forward it to them via DFA."
[Based on document 2025/124/1]
