By AFPMore by this AuthorSHANGHAIThe world's oldest captive giant panda has died at age 37 — more than 100 years in human years — her handlers in China said on Thursday as they gave "Basi" an emotional send-off befitting a minor celebrity. Pandas in the wild have an average lifespan of about 20 years, but those in captivity generally live longer. She was something of a beloved star in China and her birthdays were often celebrated with gusto. State television reported live on Thursday from the zoo where Basi lived in south-eastern China, which held a memorial in her honour. Giant pandas have a notoriously low reproductive rate, a key contributor — along with habitat loss — to their status as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of threatened species.

Source: Daily Nation September 14, 2017 06:22 UTC