World's Oldest Captive Panda Has Died

Jia Jia was 38, thought to be oldest ever held in captivity
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 16, 2016 12:58 PM CDT
World's Oldest Captive Panda Has Died
In this 2015 file photo, giant panda Jia Jia eats bamboo next to her birthday cake made with ice and vegetables at Ocean Park in Hong Kong, as she celebrates her 37th birthday.   (Kin Cheung)

A Hong Kong theme park says the world's oldest-ever panda in captivity has been euthanized because her health was deteriorating, reports the AP. Ocean Park says a veterinarian euthanized 38-year-old Jia Jia on Sunday to prevent further suffering and for ethical reasons. Guinness World Records recognized Jia Jia as the oldest giant panda to live in captivity; the BBC notes that her age is equivalent to more than 100 in human years. The average lifespan for a panda in the wild is 18 to 20 years, while in captivity it's 30 years, according to Guinness.

Born in the wild, Jia Jia was taken to live at a breeding center in China's Sichuan province in 1980, when she was around 2. She and another panda were given to Hong Kong as a gift from Beijing in 1999, two years after China took control of the city from Britain. (More panda stories.)

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