A well-known male panda living in Taipei , Taiwan , has failed to complete his most important job of the year because he was distracted by an apple . When Tuantuan 's long-term mating partner , Yuanyuan , was in heat last week - a precious window lasting about 72 hours every year - and Taipei Zoo went to great lengths to entice them to mate naturally . Determined : To celebrity panda Tuantuan , an apple is much more attractive than his long-term girlfriend Yuanyuan who , was on annual heat last week . But the food they used to guide Tuantuan into position ruined the plan , as the 10-year-old male ditched his girlfriend and leapt towards the apple , according to People 's Daily Online . Despite the fact that Yuanyuan repeatedly lifted up her tail , a sign to show she was in heat , Tuantuan changed direction and went for the apple dangled in front of him . Female pandas are generally only in heat once a year for one to three days . In order not to miss Yuanyuan 's heat period , Taipei Zoo decided to obtain sperm from Tuantuan through an operation . Yuanyuan was artificially inseminated twice the same night . Gift : The two pandas were given to Taiwan from mainland China in 2008 as a diplomatic present . Their combined name 'tuan yuan ' means reunion in Chinese . Stardom : The pair landed in Taipei in December 2008 . Thousands went to the zoo to welcome them and millions more watched the event on television . A spokesman from the zoo said they will discover whether the inseminations were successful in about three months . The two pandas were given as a gift to Taiwan from mainland China in 2008 . Their combined name 'tuan yuan ' means 'reunion ' in Chinese . The two became parents for the first time when a baby girl cub called Yuanzai was born in summer 2013 . The pair have become local celebrities . The zoo allows up to 19,200 visitors to the pandas section every day and all visitors are asked to enter a lottery in order to get in .
Tuantuan the panda failed to mate because he was distracted by an apple . Female pandas are only on heat once a year for 2008 . His partner , Yuanyuan , had to be artificially inseminated twice that night . Zoo was forced to collect sperm from the male panda through an operation . The pair were given as a gift to Taiwan from mainland China in one to three days .