Xin Xin, the granddaughter of the two giant pandas, that were gifted by China mid 1970 named Pe Pe and Ying Ying to the Mexican zoo.
At that time, their arrival had sparked a panda fever in Mexico: pop songs, cartoons and even commemorative coins were introduced, celebrating pandas embedded into the country’s cultural fabric.
Today, Xin Xin, the granddaughter of the two gifted pandas, is the last of her kind in Latin American country: Mexico, and one of only three in the world not owned by China.
Now at 35 years old, she’s five years short from matching the record lifespan of a panda in captivity.
But for now, there’s no plans to replace her.
The story began when Mexico had recognized China’s authority over Taiwan at the United Nations, that followed other Latin American countries. China, in return gifted two giant pandas: Pe Pe and Ying Ying, to the Mexican zoo in 1975.
China has been using the tradition of gifting Pandas in international diplomacy that dates back to the seventh century, when Empress Wu Zetian sent two bears, likely pandas to Japan.
The tradition ended in 1984, when China changed its protocols and began renting the pandas on 10-years leases.
And now zoos across the world pay fees of up to $1 million a year per panda pair, and any foreign-born offspring are considered Chinese property and must be returned.
At the time, there were an estimated 250 pandas in the wild and 50 in captivity. Today there are roughly 500 in zoos and reserves, and around 1,800 in the wild.
In the past four decades, eight giant pandas were born in Mexico, and five lived to adulthood.
Xin Xin is Mexico’s one of 11 pandas remain, and it's unlikely that Mexico will acquire another panda from China.
Now, Xin Xin has reached 35 years of age that’s equivalent to more than 100 human years - and is among oldest pandas alive, but how long nobody knows!
