Japan’s oldest giant panda Tan Tan dies at 28 in Kobe zoo

Tan Tan’s age of 28 was equivalent to being in her 80s in human years. She spent about 24 years in a Kobe zoo. - KOBE CITY OJI ZOO/TWITTER

TOKYO: The oldest giant panda living in Japan, Tan Tan, has died at age 28 at a zoo in the western city of Kobe. She spent about 24 years there as a symbol of recovery from the Great Hanshin Earthquake that struck the region in 1995, the zoo said on Monday (April 1).

The female giant panda, whose age was equivalent to being in her 80s in human years, was under treatment after being found with heart disease in March 2021. She is believed to have died from prostration caused by the disease, according to Kobe Oji Zoo.