After weeks
of deteriorating health, the world's oldest giant panda in captivity has died
at a Hong Kong theme park. Jia Jia was a gift from Beijing on the second
anniversary of Hong Kong's independence from Britain.
Deutsche Welle, 16 Oct 2016
Hong Kong giant panda, Jia Jia |
Veterinarians
were forced on Sunday to euthanize the world's oldest captive giant panda in
Hong Kong in order to prevent the animal from further suffering.
"This
is a day we knew would eventually come, but it is nevertheless a sad day for
everyone at the Park, especially for the Park's keepers who took care of her
over the years," Ocean Park chairman Leo Kung said in a statement.
Giant panda
Jia Jia was born in the wild and was taken to a wildlife reserve's breeding
centre in 1980, when she was around two-years-old.
Euthanasia
to 'prevent suffering'
After
taking medication for high blood pressure and arthritis in old age, Jia Jia's
condition deteriorated significantly over the past two weeks. As her food
consumption plummeted from 10 kilograms (22 pounds) a day to less than three,
the panda dramatically lost weight.
"Her
state became so debilitated that based on ethical reasons and in order to
prevent suffering, veterinarians from the Agriculture, Fisheries and
Conservation Department and Ocean Park [authorities] agreed to a humane
euthanasia for Jia Jia," the theme park said.
Race to
save the species
Although
pandas are traditionally symbolic animals in China, Jia Jia carried extra
significance as she, along with another panda An An, were gifts from Beijing to
Hong Kong in 1999 on the occasion of its second anniversary of independence
from Britain.
Jia Jia,
whose name translates as 'excellence,' held the Guinness World Record as the
oldest living giant panda in captivity. The average lifespan for a panda is
only 18 to 20 years in the wild, although that jumps to 30 for pandas in
captivity.
Due to
their low birth rate and the destruction of their natural habitats, captive breeding programs have become essential to ensuring the species' survival.
According to Ocean Park, Jia Jia gave birth five times to six panda cubs whilst
in captivity.
The World
Wildlife Fund (WWF) estimates that there are fewer than 2,000 giant pandas now
left in the wild.
tm/jlw (AFP, AP)
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