Celebrating in style
The equivalent of more than 100 years old in human terms, Jia Jia was presented with a towering birthday cake made from ice and fruit juice with the number 37 carved on top in her enclosure at the city’s Ocean Park theme park. Ryan Fitzwilliam, adjudicator of Guinness World Records, attended the ceremony at the park, and congratulated the panda for her “amazing longevity achievement.” 
Happy Birthday, Jia Jia – but when exactly?
Jia Jia turns 37 this summer. While it is clear that she was born in China in 1978, no one knows the exact date given that she was captured in the wild. Alongside a fellow panda, Jia Jia was gifted to Hong Kong to mark the second anniversary of the city’s handover from former colonial ruler Britain. 
The challenges of ageing
Attendants are happy with Jia Jia’s health condition. “She’s had a few ups and downs, but she always manages to bounce back and look surprisingly good for her age,” said Paolo Martelli, the park’s chief veterinarian. However, the panda is not completely free of ailments: her vision is impaired, and her hearing has deteriorated. She is also on medication for high blood pressure and arthritis. 
No interest in stardom
Jia Jia, whose name means “good,” weighs 80 kilos and has her own fan base. But she doesn’t seem very interested in the spotlight. She walks slowly and avoids the exhibition area of her enclosure, preferring to stay at the back and feast on several kilograms of bamboo shoots and leaves, besides fruit and high-fiber bread. 
Jia Jia and Du Du
Now 37, Jia Jia has matched Du Du – who died in 1999 – in the Guinness World Records for the oldest panda survivor in captivity. “It is rare for pandas to live to this age,” said Grant Abel, the park’s director of animal care. “It’s probably equivalent to someone, a human person, who would be over a hundred years of age.” 
A growing family
Pandas’ natural habitat is found mostly in southwestern China. A Chinese government survey in 2014 estimated that 1,864 pandas were living in the wild, up 17 percent from 2003 – an improvement largely linked to efforts from conservationist groups and the Chinese state. 
