Farewell, Basi: World's Oldest Captive Panda Dies at 37

By Sarah B. Puschmann, Staff Writer | September 14, 2017 12:45pm ET

- click for image -

https://img.purch.com/h/1400/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5saXZlc2NpZW5jZS5jb20vaW1hZ2VzL2kvMDAwLzA5NS8zNDQvb3JpZ2luYWwvT05FX1RJTUVfVVNFX3BhbmRhX2Jhc2lfMS5qcGc=

Basi the panda, photographed on Jan. 2017 at the Strait Panda Research and Exchange Center, died yesterday (Sept. 13) at the age of 37.
Credit: Wei Peiquan/Xinhua/Zuma


The oldest giant panda in captivity died yesterday (Sept. 13) at the advanced age of 37, according to the state-run Chinese news outlet Xinhua News Agency.

The panda, named Basi, died of multiple causes, including cirrhosis of the liver and kidney failure, the animal's keepers said.

"Basi has left, but her beautiful image and Basi spirit will forever be in our hearts," said Chen Yucun, director of the Straits Giant Panda Research and Exchange Center in Fuzhou, China, which housed Basi, according to Agence France-Presse. (In Fujian province, where Fuzhou is the capital, "basi" has come to mean "beautiful," according to Pandas International, a Colorado-based nonprofit organization.)

Born in the wild, Basi is first known to have made human contact in 1984, when she was rescued by Li Xingyu, a farmer, who spotted the unconscious panda floating in a freezing river in Sichuan province, the China Daily reported. Experts determined that the panda was likely 4 years old at the time, according to the Daily Mail.

More:
https://www.livescience.com/60414-oldest-captive-panda-dies.html?utm_source=notification