The oldest male giant panda ever in captivity has died at the age of 35.
An An has lived most of his life at an amusement park in Hong Kong after he and a female panda were gifted by China in 1999.
The female panda, Jia Jia, died in 2016 at the age of 38, making her the oldest female panda ever in captivity.
Ocean Park Amusement Park mourns An An as a family member who has built relationships with locals and tourists alike.
“An An has brought us fond memories with countless heartwarming moments. His intelligence and playfulness will be loved by everyone,” said Paulo Pong, president of Ocean Park Corporation.
An An suffers from high blood pressure, a common condition in elderly pandas. For more than three weeks, An An did not pay attention to the visitors to the park as his health deteriorated.
He stopped eating solid foods and has been significantly less active in recent days.
Last week, hundreds of comments were left on a social media post about An An’s condition, wishing him a speedy recovery.
He was sacrificed to prevent further suffering on Thursday morning after veterinarians from Ocean Park and government agencies consulted with the Center for Bear Conservation and Research. Chinese giant bamboo.
“An An lived a full life ending at the respectable age of 35 – the equivalent of 105 human years,” Ocean Park said.
Hong Kong was given another pair of pandas – Ying Ying, a female and a male, Le Le – in 2007 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the city’s handover to China.
China often engages in “panda diplomacy” in which mammal species exclusively found in China are leased to other countries as a sign of goodwill.
