World’s Oldest Panda Celebrates Her 37th Birthday

Rebecca OConnell
getty images
getty images / getty images
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Very-old panda Jia Jia celebrated her birthday yesterday with a festive ice cake. While the gigantic 37 on the dessert might have been daunting for some, there is real cause for celebration in this panda's case. Jia Jia set a new Guinness World Record as the oldest living panda in captivity. She also set the record for oldest panda ever in captivity. 

The old-timer (in panda years, anyway) enjoyed her party at Ocean Park in Hong Kong. Before Jia Jia arrived, the oldest panda in captivity was Dudu, who lived to be 36 and died in 1999. Generally, pandas live to be about 18 to 20 years old in the wild, and about 30 in captivity. According to Guinness World Records, 37 is around 111 in panda years. 

At Jia Jia's birthday celebration, Guinness World Records adjudicator Blythe Fitzwiliam thanked the caretakers at Ocean Park for helping the panda "set a new longevity record.”


Getty Images


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