How did An An the Giant Panda die? Cause of death Explained

At age 35, a Large panda “An An”at Ocean Park has died. Let’s see what happened to An An the Giant Panda and the his cause of death.

Who is An An?

An An lived in Hong Kong Ocean Park from 1986 to 21 July 2022. He was a male giant panda that the Central People’s Government of China sent to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 1999 as a gift.

Before his passing in 2022, he was the male giant panda who had lived the longest while being cared for by humans.

An An was born in Sichuan, China, and previously resided in Wolong National Nature Reserve. He and Jia Jia, a second female giant panda, were brought to the Ocean Park in March 1999 as a gift from Beijing to Hong Kong.

How did An An the Giant Panda die?

In 2017, the 31-year-old An An became the world’s longest-lived male giant panda in captivity.

Following the death of Jia Jia in 2016, An An continued to live at Ocean Park. His health deteriorated in July 2022 and he stopped eating. He was euthanised on 21 July 2022.

Ocean Park: Giant panda An An euthanized at age 35 Ocean Park officially announced at 9:00 this morning that giant panda An An was euthanized at the “Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Qizhen Pavilion” at 8:40 this morning. He was 35 years old. According to the park, the 35-year-old panda is equivalent to 105 years of human age, and is the longest-lived male giant panda under human care in the world on record.

The park described An An as a “beloved animal ambassador”, and the park started to set up a condolence book today for the public to leave their thoughts.

The park said that An An’s health has gradually deteriorated in the past few weeks. Her food and activities have dropped significantly, and her body has become very weak.

“Humanely speaking, her life has come to an end.” After consulting the China Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center with veterinarians from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.

Wild giant pandas generally live about 20 years old, and captive pandas can reach 30 years old. An An is 35 years old, which is equivalent to 105 human years. This “hundred-year-old Xiong Rui” is the world’s oldest captive male giant panda. It was born in 1986 and grew up in the wild.

After being rescued, it has been living in the giant panda breeding grounds in Wolong Nature Reserve, Sichuan. Before coming to Hong Kong, it lived in Singapore’s Wanli Zoo for half a year.

Ocean Park decided to let An An undergo euthanasia to avoid suffering for the reasons of animal welfare. Panda An An and its neighbor , the female panda Jia Jia, came to Hong Kong on March 11, 1999.

According to official accounts, An An and Jia Jia were gifts from the central government to the 2nd anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

An An and Jia Jia are both wild pandas, but they were rescued to live at the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas in Wolong, Sichuan.

As for An An, before coming to Hong Kong, he had been a guest at the Mandai Zoo in Singapore for half a year. The older Jiajia was euthanized in 2016. At the age of 38, she is the longest-lived female giant panda under human care in the world on record.

An An the Giant Panda Sick days.

Ocean Park described An An as being agile, active, and intelligent; her body is large, and her face is square and broad. An’an’s favorite foods include bamboo leaves, bamboo shoots, fruits and vegetables, and high-fiber biscuits.

However, due to the deterioration of her health in recent years, the nurses will add high-fiber biscuits or fruit pieces to high-fiber biscuits for An’an to swallow.

In the season when his appetite is not good, the caregiver will also prepare bamboo leaf buns made of cooked sweet potatoes and chopped bamboo leaves to encourage him to eat more bamboo leaves.

As for An An’s hobby on weekdays, playing with shredded paper will also lying down and eat bamboo.

However, An An’s health has deteriorated recently, suffering from high blood pressure, arthritis and cataracts.

In 2018, she underwent lens removal surgery related to glaucoma.

And every summer, An An’s appetite is prone to instability. In addition, An An’s semen was sent to Wolong for artificial insemination.

In 2004, An An, who was 18 years old at the time, has entered middle-aged and elderly, but she is still “old and stronger” and gave birth to the giant panda “Rong Rong”.

Why was “An An” euthanized?

The euthanization was performed at 8.40 am on Thursday at the panda’s enclosure, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures. He died of “euthanasia” this morning at the age of 35.

“An An has developed alongside the park and is a crucial part of our family. Additionally, he has developed close friendships with both locals and visitors. With many touching moments, An An has given us happy memories. His wit and humour would be sorely missed, according to Ocean Park Corporation chairman Paulo Pong.

The giant panda “An An”, who accompanied Hong Kong people for 23 years, has continued to deteriorate in health recently.

Looking back on An An’s life, he was born in Sichuan in 1986, and was rescued from the wild to the China Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center.

In March 1999, he and “Jia Jia” were sent to Hong Kong as a gift from the central government to celebrate the second anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland. Before coming to Hong Kong, An An also went to Singapore on a “business trip”, where he lived in a local zoo for half a year, and was honored as a “Panda Ambassador”.

Hypertensive arthritis in later life

In his later years ” An An” suffered from common senile diseases , including high blood pressure, arthritis and cataracts, etc. By the 13th of this month, the Ocean Park Facebook page revealed that “An An” had a lack of appetite, and called on the public to cheer for her “Gathering Qi” , but unfortunately “An An” has deteriorated in health and has stopped eating solid food this week The garden has decided to euthanize her.

A group picture was taken with specialists from the Mainland Forestry Bureau before gigantic panda An An left his native of Wolong, Sichuan, and traveled to Hong Kong.

Tributes to the Panda “An An”

At the enclosure, where workers had laid white flowers, a condolence booth was erected in the late afternoon.

Guest books were also set up on a table covered in black linen so that people may leave tributes to An An.

A backdrop featuring a picture of a panda eating was part of the setup, along with the words “Thank you An An” and the dates “1986-2022.”

Additionally, Facebook users can pay their respects on the park’s page. A little flower-adorned board was placed inside the enclosure in a popular play area for An An.

A board erected in the enclosure, in memory of the panda. 

Visitor Ana Ma, tweeted

“I came here when I was younger and took a lot of photos with An An, I felt really sad when I learned he had died. No other pandas can replace An An.”

Jaybe Lau tweeted,

“An An is the soul of Ocean Park.”

Jason Law Zit-sum, tweeted,

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