This Adorable Old Panda Had a Very Special Birthday Recently and Enjoyed a Surprise
There was plenty to celebrate recently for Hong Kong Ocean Park's beloved panda Jia Jia. On July 28th, the 37-year-old giant panda set two Guinness World Records - one for "oldest living panda in captivity," and another for the slightly redundant, but even more impressive, "oldest panda ever in captivity."
While the word "captivity" certainly doesn't have a ton of positive connotations, it's simply the word chosen to refer to animals being raised in zoos and parks. Make no mistake, Ocean Park treats Jia Jia with the utmost love and care, the likes of which have played a key role in her ripe old age. Here are some of the heartwarming images from the celebration.
The previous record holder was Dudu, who lived to be 36 and passed away in 1999. In order to fully appreciate both Jia Jia and Dudu's feats, some reference is needed.
The average lifespan of a giant panda living in the wild is 18-20, and for ones living in captivity, around 25-27. That being said, to surpass their life expectancies by 10 years, would by like us surpassing ours by 30.
