World's oldest panda celebrates 37th birthday

The world's oldest panda in captivity has turned 37.

Xin Xing, which has outlived most of her peers by two decades, was treated with a cake made with her favourite foods at special birthday party at the Chongqing Zoo in southwest China on Friday.

According to the zoo, Xin Xing, whose name means 'new star', is about 110 years old in human age.

"Giant pandas usually live into their teens in the wild, while the captive pandas can live till their twenties, with some surpassing even their thirties. Our giant panda Xin Xing is 37 years old, the oldest panda in the world. Its age is equal to that of a centenarian in the human world," said Yin Yanqiang, chief technology officer of the Panda House at the Chongqing Zoo.

Xin Xing came to the Chongqing Zoo in 1983 and started to reproduce in 1992. 

In 2002, Xin Xing gave birth to twin pandas in her twenties, setting a new record for the oldest giant panda to give birth. 

Throughout her life, she was pregnant eight times and gave birth to 10 baby pandas.

Apparently, she is 'the grandmother of all captive pandas'.

"As of the end of 2018, the number of Xin Xing's descendants has reached 137. They live in more than 20 countries and regions, including US, Canada, Japan, Belgium as well as the China Giant Panda Research Center in Chengdu. Her descendants live in many places," said Yin.

Currently, Xin Xing is in good health and she weighs about 98 kilograms. 

To ensure Xin Xing a comfortable life, the zoo has arranged to take her blood pressure every day, record her weight every 15 days and collect her blood sample every three months. 

The zoo has also arranged two staff members to take care of Xin Xing.