Xin Xin, the last panda living in Mexico City, surpassed the 30-year life expectancy for a captive panda. On July 1, she turned 35, the equivalent of 100 human years.
As a senile panda, she suffers from illnesses typical of her age, so she is kept under constant observation, under the care of doctors and specialists who attend to her needs, which has led to her longevity, said Alberto Olascoaga Elizarraráz, director of the Chapultepec Wildlife Conservation Center.
“The care Xin Xin has received is to always be closely monitoring her health, carefully monitoring her diet, and we are making modifications to the enclosure throughout her entire environment based on what she’s been showing us.
“Speaking of a panda that’s already geriatric, we need to be very careful with age-related issues, which can be vision or joint problems, which are the most common in geriatric animals,” the official said.
Authorities from Mexico City’s Ministry of the Environment have warned residents that Xin Xin is living the final years of her life. Like any elderly animal, this panda also has some illnesses that are treated by the doctors, caretakers, and specialists at Chapultepec.
“She has joint wear and tear, like any geriatric animal. Sometimes she’s not as active as other times. Let’s remember that the panda isn’t very active; it’s a solitary species that spends a lot of time resting. This also has a lot to do with its physiology and digestion.
“It’s an anatomically carnivorous animal, but a herbivore by eating habits, lacking nutrients like ruminants or other herbivorous species like horses. Other herbivorous species have impressive flora that actually does the digestion. Pandas don’t have it, so they eat and sleep, which is why they’re less active.”
