Jia Jia set to be oldest panda ever in captivity

The oldest giant panda in captivity is set to challenge the world record for the species’ longevity. Hong Kong’s giant panda, Jia Jia, will be 37 this summer and her age is said to be the equivalent of a human centenarian.

Jia Jia, whose name means ‘good’, lives at the Ocean Park theme park. She will match the Guinness World Records’ oldest panda survivor in captivity, Du Du, who died in 1999, aged 37.

“It is rare for pandas to live to this age,” said Grant Abel, the park’s director of animal care. “It’s probably equivalent to someone, a human person, who would be over a hundred years of age.”