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Centenarian panda celebrates birthday in E China

Xinhua, November 28, 2015 Adjust font size:

The world's third oldest panda celebrated its 35th birthday, an equivalent of more than 100 human years, on Saturday in east China's Fuzhou City, capital of Fujian Province.

Basi is the most long-lived panda on the Chinese mainland, and possibly the most famous. In 1990, she was chosen as the prototype for Pan Pan, the mascot of the Beijing Asian Games. She got her name after being rescued from the Basi Gorge 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 of 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.

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