The life of the oldest giant panda in the world, which grew up in captivity under the watchful eye of people, ended at the dismay of many. Back in January this year Basi turned 37, which is more than a hundred in human years but she didn’t make it until its next birthday.
The usual life span of these pandas doesn’t surpass 20 years, but Basi almost doubled it. She was the favorite panda in captivity and each of her birthdays was welcomed with great celebration.
The official announcement of Basi’s death arrived on Thursday by the State television:
“With a heavy heart, we solemnly announce today that the original model of ‘Panpan,’ the mascot for the first Asian Games (in China, 1990), and an angel of friendship both at home and abroad, giant panda star Basi died at 8:50 a.m. on September 13, 2017 at the age of 37,”
Basi was brought into captivity when she was only 4 years old. She was rescued from drowning in the river and afterward brought to her permanent residence where she had lived ever since. The origin of her name is also an interesting one, she was given the name of the valley where she was found and rescued.
She also stayed for a few months in San Diego Zoo in 1987.
Pandas are highly protected animals due to their low rate of reproduction and inability to keep their habitat. For this reason, their species was proclaimed vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of threatened species.
Before that, the black and white bears also reached the list of endangered animals.
