FILE - In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 file photo, giant panda Jia Jia eats bamboo next to her birthday cake made with ice and vegetables at Ocean Park in Hong Kong, as she celebrates her 37th birthday.... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 file photo, giant panda Jia Jia eats bamboo next to her birthday cake made with ice and vegetables at Ocean Park in Hong Kong, as she celebrates her 37th birthday. A Hong Kong theme park says the world’s oldest panda in captivity has been euthanized because her... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 file photo, giant panda Jia Jia eats bamboo next to her birthday cake made with ice and vegetables at Ocean Park in Hong Kong, as she celebrates her 37th birthday. A Hong Kong theme park says the world’s oldest panda in captivity has been euthanized because her... (Associated Press) FILE - In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 file photo, giant panda Jia Jia eats bamboo next to her birthday cake made with ice and vegetables at Ocean Park in Hong Kong, as she celebrates her 37th birthday.... (Associated Press) 
 
 HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong theme park says the world's oldest-ever panda in captivity has been euthanized because her health was deteriorating. 
 
 Ocean Park says a veterinarian euthanized 38-year-old Jia Jia on Sunday evening to prevent further suffering and for ethical reasons. 
 
 Guinness World Records recognized Jia Jia as the oldest giant panda to live in captivity. The average lifespan for a panda in the wild is 18 to 20 years, while in captivity it's 30 years, according to Guinness. 
 
 Born in the wild, Jia Jia was taken to live at a breeding center in China's Sichuan province in 1980, when she was around 2. 
 
 She and another panda were given to Hong Kong as a gift from Beijing in 1999, two years after China took control of the city from Britain. 

 Image copyright AP Image caption The Hong Kong government said it was saddened by the news of Jia Jia's death 
 
 A giant panda believed to have been the oldest ever kept in captivity has died at the age of 38, officials say. 
 
 The death of Jia Jia, whose age in human terms was more than 100 years, was announced by the Hong Kong theme park where she lived. 
 
 Her condition had worsened rapidly in recent weeks and she had lost her appetite, the park said. 
 
 She was put down by vets at Ocean Park, her home since 1999. 
 
 "She was a member of our family and she will be deeply missed... she has served as an important animal ambassador for her species," the park said in a statement. 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Jia Jia was presented with a cake to mark her 37th birthday 
 
 The park said that in the last two weeks, Jia Jia's daily food intake had dropped from over 10kg to less than 3kg per day, and she had lost weight. 
 
 "Over the past few days, she has been spending less time awake and showing no interest in food or fluids. 
 
 "Her condition became worse this morning. Jia Jia was not able to walk about without difficulties and spent the day laying down." 
 
 Vets took the decision to put the giant panda down to prevent suffering, the park said. 
 
 In a statement obtained by BBC Chinese, a Hong Kong government spokesman thanked the park for providing Jia Jia with care and support and added that it was "saddened" by the news. 
 
 The park in Hong Kong held a high-profile celebration for Jia Jia's 37th birthday at her enclosure in July 2015. 
 
 Born in 1978 in the wild in Sichuan, China, Jia Jia was given to Hong Kong in 1999 to mark the semi-autonomous city's handover by Britain two years earlier. 
 
 Pandas normally live to around 20 years of age in the wild, and 25 in captivity.
– A Hong Kong theme park says the world's oldest-ever panda in captivity has been euthanized because her health was deteriorating, reports the AP. Ocean Park says a veterinarian euthanized 38-year-old Jia Jia on Sunday to prevent further suffering and for ethical reasons. Guinness World Records recognized Jia Jia as the oldest giant panda to live in captivity; the BBC notes that her age is equivalent to more than 100 in human years. The average lifespan for a panda in the wild is 18 to 20 years, while in captivity it's 30 years, according to Guinness. Born in the wild, Jia Jia was taken to live at a breeding center in China's Sichuan province in 1980, when she was around 2. She and another panda were given to Hong Kong as a gift from Beijing in 1999, two years after China took control of the city from Britain.