World’s oldest panda – known as the ‘hero mother’ with 153 descendants – dies of multiple organ failure at the age of 38 in China

The world’s oldest panda in captivity has died of multiple organ failure at the age of 38 years and four months, a Chinese zoo has announced.

Panda Xin Xing, or ‘new star’, was more than 130 in human years when she passed on December 8 at the Chongqing Zoo in south-western China.

Xin Xing was hailed as the ‘hero mother’ for having 153 descendants – including 36 cubs of her own – during her long life.