Shuan Shuan, Mexico's longest-lived giant panda, celebrated her last birthday before passing away at the Chapultepec Zoo, which commemorated its 99th anniversary.

"With hundreds of drawings and a giant cake, with dates and apple, her favorite food, as part of her environmental enrichment, Shuan Shuan lived her last day full of joy," informed the Secretariat of the Environment (Sedema) in a statement.

The panda reached 35 years of life, which is more than double the average life span of these animals in the wild (15 years) and even the average life span in captivity (30 years), said the agency.

Her name means double double and she was so named because she had a twin when she was born on June 15, 1987. She was the seventh and last offspring of Pe-Pe and Ying-Ying, who were the first pandas to arrive in Mexico on September 10, 1975, three years after Mexico and China re-established diplomatic relations.

She was characterized for having a very good appetite, being very active and playful, but like all giant pandas, she could stay more than 2 hours resting on her pallet, according to Sedema.

"Thanks to the care of the great team of the General Directorate of Zoos and Wildlife Conservation, which includes the caretakers of the Giant Pandas Shuan Shuan and Xin Xin (we affectionately call them the 'panderos'), veterinarians, biologists and operational staff, Shuan Shuan became the longest-lived giant panda in Mexico and one of the giant pandas that have reached one of the oldest ages outside China, a source of pride for both Mexico and China," the statement said.

Eight giant panda cubs have been born at the Chapultepec Zoo. This species has moved away from extinction as there are currently more than 1,800 giant pandas in the wild in China and more than 500 in breeding centers and zoos, most of them in their country of origin.

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