HONG KONG (AFP) – The world’s oldest ever giant panda in captivity died on Sunday aged 38 at a Hong Kong theme park, officials said.
Jia Jia was put down after her health rapidly deteriorated over the last two weeks leaving her unable to walk without difficulty, a statement from the Ocean Park Hong Kong theme park said.
Born in the wild in China’s Sichuan province in 1978, Jia Jia was given to Hong Kong in 1999 to mark the semi-autonomous city’s handover by Britain two years earlier.
But as her health declined over recent days, her food consumption slumped from more than 10 kilograms (22 pounds) a day to less than three and her weight also declined.