If Pan Pan was human, he would have been 100 years old. But, he was an adorable black and white bear and a patriarch, having sired 25 per cent of all pandas in captivity. He fathered the first panda that survived in captivity. His progeny live in zoos across the world — from California in the U.S. to Chiang Mai in Thailand and Edinburgh, Scotland. He was a resident at the Giant Panda Protection and Research Centre in Chengdu, China.
On December 28, 2016, Pan Pan died. He was 31 years old and the world’s oldest panda in captivity. In June, he was diagnosed with cancer. According to a Chinese news journal, since his illness, he was living in a “nursing home” for pandas, “complete with fresh bamboo leaves and steamed corn to munch on”.
Hero father
Pan Pan (meaning “hope” or “expectation”) was born in the wild, in Baoxing County, Sichuan, China, in 1985. He was rescued and placed in the Chengdu Protection Centre. Pan Pan’s children include Bai Yun (born 1991) who lives in the San Diego Zoo in the U.S., Tian Tia (born 1997), who lives in the National Zoo in Washington and Lin Hui (born 2001) currently on loan to Chiang Mai Zoo in Thailand. Pandas are difficult to breed in captivity. A pregnancy can last up to 200 days. A spokesman for the Panda Conservation and Research Center in Sichuan, China said Pan Pan had been found in the wild, making him “wilder” than other pandas. “He had a strong physique. Pan Pan was really fast and agile when he was young,” he said. The cubs are extremely vulnerable. There is also a debate about whether pandas are better off in captivity or not.
Breeding them is exceedingly expensive and many experts are of the opinion that it would make better sense to conserve their habitat instead and allow the pandas to live in the wild.
Till Pan Pan made an appearance, the Center had been having problems with panda breeding. “Pan Pan brought hope to the center. In a group of sluggish, feeble pandas, Pan Pan stood out. He was always full of energy and vitality.”
Pan Pan was called “hero father”. In December, his health deteriorated. Keepers at the Center said he had stopped moving and eating, and lost consciousness, as his health had deteriorated rapidly over the preceding three days. They described his death as “heart-wrenching”.
Good news
Here’s something to cheer. In September 2016, it was announced that giant pandas were no longer officially endangered as numbers had increased. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced that the giant panda’s status has been downgraded from “Endangered” to “Vulnerable” on the global list of species at risk of extinction. A fine example of demonstrating how a balanced approach can help save the planet’s vanishing biodiversity.
While the panda’s status has improved, other species are under increasing threat, including the Eastern gorilla that is now listed as critically endangered, just one step away from extinction, due primarily to poaching.
Panda patter
In October 2016, Jia Jia, a female giant panda and a resident at Ocean Park Hong Kong died. At 38, she was the oldest giant panda in captivity. Jia Jia was born in the wilds of Sichuan province in China. She was rescued when she was two and housed in Wolong National Nature Reserve. In 1999, she was transfered to Hong Kong, as a gesture to the territory following British handover. At the time of her death, she was suffering from high blood pressure, arthritis and cataracts.
Basilives in Hong Kong’s Ocean Park. She was named after the valley of Baoxing county in Sichuan province where she was born in 1980. She was relocated to the Fuzhou Giant Panda Research Center in Fujian province in 1985 after all the bamboo in her native habitat died off. In 1987, Basi was invited to stay for half a year at San Diego Zoo, where she amazed over 2.5 million visitors with her acrobatic performances. In 1990, Basi became a household name in China when she was named as the mascot for the 11th Asian Games held in Beijing.
