World's Oldest Panda Dies in China at Age Equivalent to Over 100 Human Years

The world's oldest giant panda named Basi that lived in a zoo in southeastern China has died at age 37 which is more than 100 in human years, the animal's handlers announced Thursday.

Basi the panda who lived in captivity most of her life outlived other pandas by almost two decades. Pandas in the wild generally live about 20 years, but captive animals usually live longer.

The panda was very popular among Chinese residents most of whom were very saddened by the news.

😔🐼😢🐼😔🐼😢🐼😔

R.I.P. #Basi world's eldest #Panda 37 yo

🐾🐾🐾🐾 pic.twitter.com/5UoUno0KxJ

— The Cult Cat (@Elverojaguar) 14 сентября 2017 г.

Basi, the world’s oldest captive giant #panda, the original model for 'Panpan' — the mascot for the Beijing Asian Games in 1990 — has died pic.twitter.com/aS7IGFLAeR

— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) 14 сентября 2017 г.​

Oh this is so sad. R.I.P. little one.

— Teal Fitzpatrick (@FitzpatrickTeal) 14 сентября 2017 г.

Chinese TV Channels reported Basi's death from the zoo on Thursday. According to reports, the animal facility has established a memorial in the animal's honor.

Basi had been reportedly brought to the zoo at the age of five when she accidently fell into a river and was rescued.

Pandas are viewed as symbols of China and have just recently been taken off the endangered list. The animals are no longer facing the risk of extinction thanks to decades of conservation work.