Oldest male giant panda dies in Hong Kong zoo

The world’s oldest panda in captivity recently died in a Hong Kong amusement park. The panda, called An An, was euthanised at thirty-five, the equivalent of a human living to the age of one-hundred and five.

An An, with Jia Jia, its friend, was gifted from China’s central government to Hong Kong in the late 1990s

Ocean Park’s officials said the male panda’s food intake had decreased gradually until he stopped taking solid food overall and survived only on electrolyte beverages and water. An An’s caretakers also detected his rest periods were getting progressively longer, and his activity levels had declined.

To alleviate the geriatric panda’s discomfort, the park officials made the decision to euthanise the bear.

An An was born in the wild in Sichuan; he arrived in Hong Kong with his friend in 1999. However, his female friend, Jia Jia, passed away at thirty-eight in 2016 after becoming the oldest female panda in captivity. Two other pandas – Le Le and Ying Ying – remain at the Ocean Park zoo. The life expectancy of this species is under twenty years in the wild, but they can survive longer when in captivity.

Paolo Pong, Chairman of Ocean Park Corporation has stated, “An An has brought us fond memories with numerous heart-warming moments. His cleverness and playfulness will be dearly missed”.