Centenarian panda invites "American friends" to birthday party

Fifty VIPP (very important panda people) will be invited to a birthday party for the oldest living giant panda on the Chinese mainland, its breeders said.

Basi turns 35 in November, making her over 100 in human years.

Staff at the panda research and exchange center in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, want to invite the American breeders and members of the public that the centenarian panda met during her performance tour in San Diego in 1987, according to center head Chen Yucun.

Basi is possibly the most famous panda in China. In 1990, she was chosen as the prototype for Pan Pan, the mascot for the Beijing Asian Games. She got her name after being rescued from a "Basi Ditch" in Baoxing County in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

She has survived several bouts of illness since 2000, including hypertension and pancreatitis. She was also the first panda to successfully undergo cataract surgery.

Birthday celebrations have been ongoing since May, featuring activities to raise public awareness on panda protection. A one-minute animation featuring Basi also began a 10-day showing on a screen in New York's Times Square on Sept. 21.

Giant pandas are one of the world's most endangered species. According to official data, by the end of 2103 there were 1,864 giant pandas living in the wild, mostly in southwest China, and 375 in captivity.

The average lifespan of wild pandas is 15 years, while those in captivity usually live longer due to better nutrition and living conditions.

Jia Jia, a 37-year-old female panda in Hong Kong, is the world's oldest living panda in captivity. Endi