Oldest male panda in captivity dies in Hong Kong

An An, the oldest male giant panda in captivity, died on Thursday, according to the Hong Kong theme park where he lived.

How did An An die? 

The panda was euthanized at the age of 35, or 105 in human years, amid signs that his health deteriorated in recent weeks. The creature stopped eating solid food and had been kept out of sight of visitors due to the panda's poor health condition.

"Ocean Park is deeply saddened to announced the loss of An An," the theme park said in a statement.He had resided at the Park since 1999. 

"An An is an indispensable member of our family and has grown together with the Park. He has also built a strong bond of friendship with locals and tourists alike," the statement added.    

An An's death led to an outpouring of support on social media. 

Ocean Park said they consulted with the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda before making the "difficult decision" of euthanizing the animal.

Why did An An live in Hong Kong?

An An, along with his mate Jia Jia, were gifted to Hong Kong from China in 1999. Jia Jia died in 2016 at the age of 38. She was the oldest panda ever in captivity at the time of her death.   

Another pair of pandas, Ying Ying and Le Le, were also given to Hong Kong from Beijing in 2007. The pair displayed mating behavior in 2020 during the COVID pandemic but did not successfully reproduce. 

Pandas live in the high temperate forests of southwestern China and are a national symbol of the country. Unlike under species of bear, the animals almost never eat meat and prefer feeding on bamboo. According to the World Wildlife Fund, just over 1,800 pandas remain in the wild.     

wd/dj (Reuters, AP)