Author: Tsang Soo
Associated Press
HONG KONG (AP) — The oldest male giant panda ever in captivity has died at a Hong Kong theme park at the age of 35 after his health deteriorated.
An An spent most of her time at Ocean Park after she and a female panda were gifted to Hong Kong by China in 1999. Female panda Jia Jia died in 2016 at the age of 38, making her the oldest ever captive panda.
Ocean Park mourns Ann as a family member who grew up with the park and connected with locals and visitors.
“An An brings us countless fond and heartwarming memories. His ingenuity and playfulness will be dearly missed,” Ocean Park Corporation chairman Paulo Pong said in a statement.
An An suffers from high blood pressure, a common disease of giant pandas. For the past three weeks, An’an has been out of sight of tourists in the park as his health deteriorated. He stopped eating solid foods and has been significantly less active in recent days.
Previously, hundreds of people commented on An An’s condition in Ocean Park’s post, wishing him a speedy recovery.
Ocean Park said he was euthanized on July 21 to prevent further suffering after consulting with the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas by Ocean Park veterinarians and government authorities.
“Ann lived a full life, ending at a respectable age of 35 – the equivalent of 105 in human years,” the statement read.
In 2007, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China, Hong Kong acquired another pair of pandas – Yingying, female and male Lele.
China typically engages in “panda diplomacy,” leasing China’s unique mammals to other countries as a gesture of goodwill.
