HONG KONG — An An, the world’s oldest male giant panda under human care, was euthanised on Thursday (July 21) morning at Hong Kong’s Ocean Park.

The park said the animal, aged 35 — the equivalent of 105 human years — had refused solid food and only drank water or liquids with electrolytes.

The park added that the panda had been mostly inactive before its death, and staff had provided medical care to ease its discomfort.

“Unfortunately but as expected, An An’s condition reached a humane endpoint on July 21, 2022,” Ocean Park said in a press statement.

“Veterinarians from Ocean Park and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department made the difficult decision to perform the procedure of humane euthanasia on An An after consulting the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda.”

The euthanisation was conducted at 8.40am on Thursday at the panda’s enclosure, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures.

“An An is an indispensable member of our family and has grown together with the park. He has also built a strong bond of friendship with locals and tourists alike. An An has brought us fond memories with numerous heart-warming moments. His cleverness and playfulness will be dearly missed,” Ocean Park Corporation chairman Paulo Pong said.

A condolence booth was set up in the afternoon at the enclosure, where staff had placed white flowers. On a table covered in black cloth, guest books were also laid for visitors to put down messages of tribute to An An. The set-up included a backdrop showing a photo of the panda having a meal, and the message “Thank you An An” with the years “1986-2022”.

Internet users can also post tributes on the park’s Facebook page.

Within the enclosure itself, a small board was erected with flowers in a play area An An frequented.

Visitor Ana Ma, 10, said: “I came here when I was younger and took a lot of photos with An An, I felt really sad when I learned he had died. No other pandas can replace An An.”

Ma’s friend, Jaybe Lau, 11, added: “An An is the soul of Ocean Park.”

Another visitor, Jason Law Zit-sum, 17, also a fan of the panda, said: “I saw the news this morning and came immediately after my work at church. An An was a playful panda. When I was younger, I came to visit him with my family. He was really cute.”

Law had even visited the park last week, with the panda in ill health.

A representative from the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau said: “An An, the giant panda, has accompanied Hong Kong citizens for 23 years, leaving many fond memories. We are very saddened by his passing.”

The bureau thanked the park and experts for taking care of the animal over the years.

Last Thursday, the park said the panda had lost its appetite and was in low spirits. The beloved animal had been kept out of visitors’ sight over the past fortnight because of health issues.

For regular park-goer Ina Chan, 40, news of An An’s death hit particularly hard since she was at the venue itself. “When I saw the condolences sign, I felt very sad,” she said. “I always felt like he recognised me since I came frequently. He’d always stop to look at me.

“He is a unique panda… His ears would move while eating, and he always had special poses for visitors.”

Ms Chan thanked the park for its efforts in caring for the panda, saying her final message for the animal was “to be forever happy in heaven”.

Hong Kong chief executive John Lee last week urged residents to pray for the ailing An An. “I hope everyone can come together and give well wishes for the panda,” he wrote on social media.

The animal, born in Sichuan province in southwestern China, arrived in Hong Kong in 1999 along with a female giant panda named Jia Jia as a gift from Beijing to the city. The latter died in 2016, aged 38.

There are two other giant pandas at the park, female Ying Ying and male Le Le, who were given to Hong Kong by the central government in 2007 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the city’s return to Chinese rule. SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST