THE world’s oldest-ever panda in captivity was euthanized Sunday at the Hong Kong theme park where she lived because her health had deteriorated.

    Ocean Park said in a statement posted on its website that a veterinarian euthanized 38-year-old Jia Jia to prevent further suffering and for ethical reasons.

    “Her state became so debilitated that based on ethical reasons and in order to prevent suffering, veterinarians ... agreed to a humane euthanasia for Jia Jia,” the statement said.

    “This is a day we knew would eventually come, but it is nevertheless a sad day for everyone at the park, especially for the park’s keepers who took care of her over the years,” Ocean Park’s chairman, Leo Kung, said in the statement.

    Guinness World Records recognized Jia Jia as the oldest giant panda to live in captivity. The average lifespan for a panda in the wild is 18 to 20 years, while in captivity it’s 30 years, according to Guinness.

    Born in the wild, Jia Jia, whose name means “good,” was gifted to Hong Kong in 1999 along with another panda, to mark the second anniversary of the SAR’s return to the motherland.

    Jia Jia, who celebrated her birthday in August, had shown signs of poor health in her old age, including high blood pressure and arthritis, which required regular medication.

    Over the past two weeks, her condition had worsened significantly, with her weight falling as she stopped eating. Her food consumption had sharply declined from over 10 kilograms to less than 3 kilograms per day and her average weight dropped from 71 kilograms to around 67 kilograms.

    “Over the past few days, she has been spending less time awake and showing no interest in food or fluids. Her condition became worse this morning. Jia Jia was not able to walk about without difficulties and spent the day laying down,” Ocean Park said in the statement.

    Pandas, a beloved symbol of China, were long considered one of the world’s most endangered animals.

    Pandas are endangered because most of their natural habitat has been destroyed for timber, farming and construction, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

    A Chinese Government survey in 2014 estimated 1,864 pandas live in the wild, up 17 percent from 2003. They also have an exceptionally short breeding season, with females fertile for just 24 to 36 hours a year, says a nonprofit body, Pandas International.

    Three other pandas still live at Ocean Park — 30-year-old An An, and Ying Ying and Le Le, both 11.

    (SD-Xinhua)