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World's oldest male captive giant panda dies
An Ocean Park conversion suggests that one year of age for pandas is roughly equivalent to three human years.

Ocean Park's famous resident An An was 35 years old.

The world's oldest male giant panda in captivity has died aged 35, as reported by BBC News.

An An, who lived at Ocean Park in Hong Kong, was euthanised after showing steady signs of deterioration over the last few weeks.

Ocean Park, a hybrid amusement park and zoo, has been where An An lived since 1999, after he was gifted to Hong Kong from China's central government. 

An An's age, equivalent to 105-years-old in human years, made him the world's oldest male giant panda in captivity. 

In a Facebook announcement, Ocean Park said that it was 'deeply saddened' by the loss of An An, and encouraged visitors to sign the condolence books in the park if they wished to pay tribute to the beloved panda. 

Those in charge of the elderly panda's care noticed that his food intake had declined significantly and progressively, and shortly after that, An An refused solid food entirely. 

Alongside this, his activity levels had declined, and caretakers noticed that he was resting for an increasingly longer amount of time.

Paolo Pong, chairman of Ocean Park Corporation, told BBC News: "An An has brought us fond memories with numerous heart-warming moments. His cleverness and playfulness will be dearly missed.”

 

Image (C) Ocean Park

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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

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News Shorts
Germany livestock import ban lifted

The UK government has amended its ban on the import of livestock, meat and dairy products from Germany.

Defra said the decision follows 'rigorous technical assessment' of the measures applied and the current situation. "If the situation changes, we will not hesitate to take necessary action in response to the FMD outbreaks in the European Union to protect our domestic biosecurity," it said.

The ban was implemented in January following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) near Berlin. Personal imports of meat, milk and dairy products will remain in place at a country level.