Pandas

Given that Ying Ying is the oldest giant panda on record to have given birth safely, the birth "is a true rarity", officials said.

For years China has engaged in 'Panda diplomacy' leasing out the giant bears to foreign zoos as a sign of positive relations.

An An, who suffered from high blood pressure, was euthanised at the age of 35, the equivalent of 105 years for humans.