‘An An’, the oldest male giant panda, died at the age of 35 years on Thursday at the Hong Kong amusement park, the park announced in a Facebook post. His age is equivalent to 105 years in human years.
An An was the male giant panda under human care and had been living in Ocean Park Hong Kong since 1999.
As the world’s longest-living male giant panda under human care, An An’s health slowly deteriorated over the past few weeks “with a severe decrease in physical activities and food intake.”
“An An is an indispensable member of our family and has grown together with the Park, Ocean Park said.” “He has also built a strong bond of friendship with locals and tourists alike.”
Since Jia Jia arrived in Hong Kong with An An in 1999, they have supported the Park’s endeavors in promoting nature and ecosystems to visitors as its ambassadors and they were loved by visitors from around the world, the Park said.
In a tribute to An An, the park said: “We want to express our gratitude to An An for all of the wonderful things he brought the people of Hong Kong and our visitors from around the world, as he was a true ambassador of conservation and educational messaging”.
“An An has brought us fond memories with numerous heart-warming moments. His cleverness and playfulness will be dearly missed,” Paulo Pong, chairman of Ocean Park Corporation, said in a statement.
The Park said it hosts condolence books at The Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures from today.
A global media for the latest news, entertainment, music fashion, and more.