The world’s oldest giant panda in captivity died today aged 38.
Jia Jia, who was around 114-years-old in human terms, was put down by vets after falling ill in recent weeks.
She is said to have lost her appetite while being cared for at Ocean Park, an animal theme park in Hong Kong, where had she lived since 1999.
Jia Jia, whose name means “good”, had been eating just 3kg of food per day, down from her usual 10kg, while her average weight dropped from 71kg to about 67kg, a spokeswoman for the theme park said.
She had shown no interest in food or fluids during her final days and her condition worsened this morning, when she was unable to walk and spent the day lying down.
A Hong Kong government spokesman thanked the park for looking after Jia Jia and added it was “saddened” by the news.
The park held a high-profile celebration for the famous panda’s 37th birthday at her enclosure in July 2015.
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Born in 1978 in the wild in Sichuan, China, Jia Jia was given to Hong Kong in 1999 to mark the city’s handover by Britain two years earlier.
Pandas normally live to around 20 years of age in the wild, and 25 in captivity.
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