World’s longest-living male giant panda dies

The Hong Kong Zoo announced that the world’s longest-living male giant panda An An, which was under human care, has died at the age of 35.

The panda’s age was equivalent to 105 human years. The welfare of the panda was reasoned after consultation with Chinese experts. The “difficult decision” to euthanise it was necessary.

An An’s health had been deteriorating with a massive decrease in physical activity and appetite. It was put down by veterinarians early Thursday morning, stated the amusement park and zoo, Ocean Park.

An An was one of a panda pair gifted to Hong Kong by Beijing to mark the second anniversary of the city’s handover from Britain in 1999.

An An and his mate Jia Jia spent the rest of their lives in Ocean Park. Jia Jia died at the age of 38 in 2016, and held the Guinness World Records for the oldest living panda and oldest panda ever in captivity. 

An An celebrated his 35th birthday with a Haagen-Dazs fruit and bamboo ice cake and a number of handmade birthday cards from the Park’s staff.

A top choice for diplomatic gift from Beijing, An An and Jia Jia enjoyed a fair degree of political attention from zoo-dwellers. Upon their first arrival in the city, then-chief executive Tung Chee-hwa said that pandas' names would inspire Hong Kong to be stable (An) and achieve great performance (Jia).

Ocean Park has set up condolence books in the exhibition hall that An An used to live in.