Shuan Shuan, the Oldest Panda in Mexico, Dies on Her 35th Birthday at Mexico City Zoo

Alexis Jones
·1 min read
Giant panda Shuan Shuan eats bamboo in her inclosure at the Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City, Thursday, July 5, 2012. Shuan Shuan is the aunt of giant panda Xin Xin, who was selected to be be artificially inseminated next year in hopes of adding to the zoo's panda family, Mexico City Environment Secretary Martha Delgado announced Thursday.
Giant panda Shuan Shuan eats bamboo in her inclosure at the Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City, Thursday, July 5, 2012. Shuan Shuan is the aunt of giant panda Xin Xin, who was selected to be be artificially inseminated next year in hopes of adding to the zoo's panda family, Mexico City Environment Secretary Martha Delgado announced Thursday.

Eduardo Verdugo/AP Photo

The Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City is mourning the loss of one of its oldest residents.

On July 6, Mexico City's Environment Department announced the death of Chapultepec Zoo's Shuan Shuan the panda, Mexico's oldest panda, according to ABC News. The panda died on her 35th birthday, which was celebrated at the zoo before her passing.

At this time, the Environment Department has not listed Shuan Shuan's cause of death.

RELATED: Beefcake, One of the World's Oldest Bison, Dies at Wisconsin Zoo Days Before His 25th Birthday

July 6, 2022, Mexico City, Mexico: The giant panda Shuan Shuan celebrates 35 years of life and lives in the Chapultepec Forest Zoo in Mexico City, Mexico, which celebrates its 99th anniversary. On Jul 6, 2022 In Mexico City, Mexico.
July 6, 2022, Mexico City, Mexico: The giant panda Shuan Shuan celebrates 35 years of life and lives in the Chapultepec Forest Zoo in Mexico City, Mexico, which celebrates its 99th anniversary. On Jul 6, 2022 In Mexico City, Mexico.

Luis Barron//Eyepix/NurPhoto via AP

The department did add that Shuan Shuan had lived well beyond the life expectancy of a wild panda, which the Chapultepec Zoo estimates to be around 15 years.

RELATED: Omaha Zoo's Oldest Giraffe Dottie Dies at 22: 'She Will Be Greatly Missed'

Born in 1987, Shuan Shuan was one of the longest-lived pandas outside of the species' native habitat of China. The department also noted that before she died, Shuan Shuan had enjoyed a birthday cake of dates and apples, "her favorite food."

In July 2021, Chinese officials announced that pandas are no longer considered an endangered species. The number of giant pandas in the wild has surpassed 1,800, so the species is now classified as "vulnerable," a step below "endangered."

This positive step toward saving the species was made possible by robust conservation efforts. The Chinese government has created over 50 panda reserves to increase the giant panda population, per the World Wide Fund for Nature. The Wildlife Protection Act, which went into law in 1989, also bans panda poaching.