An An, oldest-ever male giant panda in captivity, dead at 35

HONG KONG — An An, who made history as the world’s oldest male giant panda in captivity, died Thursday at 35 years old – equivalent to about 105 years “in human age,” officials said.

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According to The Associated Press, Ocean Park in Hong Kong – An An’s home for more than two decades – said the fan favorite was euthanized after his health deteriorated in recent weeks. The panda, who had high blood pressure, was no longer eating solid food and had become significantly less active, officials said.

Park veterinarians, along with government officials and conservation experts, “made the difficult decision to perform the procedure of humane euthanasia” to prevent additional suffering, the attraction wrote in a Facebook post.

“An An has brought us fond memories with numerous heart-warming moments,” Ocean Park Corp. Chairman Paulo Pong said in a statement, according to the AP. “His cleverness and playfulness will be dearly missed.”

China gave An An and a female, Jia Jia, to Hong Kong in 1999, the AP reported. Jia Jia, who was 38 years old when she died in 2016, was the world’s oldest-ever female giant panda in captivity, according to the news agency.

– The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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