The world’s oldest panda in captivity died Sunday in Hong Kong’s Ocean Park. Jia Jia was 38, and had lived at the zoo for the past 17 years.
In a statement, Ocean Park said the panda had been “rapidly deteriorating” in recent weeks, with greatly reduced food consumption and a marked decrease in weight.
Her condition took a turn for the worse on Sunday, leaving her unable to do anything but lay down for the majority of the day. To prevent further suffering, the zoo decided to euthanize Jia Jia, and veterinarians performed the procedure at 6 p.m. local time (6 a.m. ET)
The average life expectancy of a giant panda is below 20 years in the wild, and just over 20 years under human care, according to Wang Chengdong, director of veterinary services at the Wolong National Nature Reserve in China’s Sichuan province.
“Jia Jia’s longevity is a result of Ocean Park’s ongoing efforts in providing best-practice of care to the giant pandas,” he said.