Oldest panda in captivity dies in Hong Kong at 38

By Mahmut Atanur

BEIJING (AA) - The world's longest living panda in captivity has been put down after her health deteriorated rapidly.

State news Agency Xinhua reported late Sunday that 38-year-old Jia Jia was euthanized at Hong Kong Ocean Park earlier in the day after a sudden loss of appetite

A theme park spokesperson is reported as saying that she was no longer able to walk and had spent Sunday lying down.

Jia Jia was born in southwest China's Sichuan Province in 1978 and presented to Hong Kong with male panda An An as a gift in 1999.

By the time she died, she had given birth to six panda cubs and was around 114 years old in human terms.