Giant panda celebrates 30th birthday in western Japan zoo

A male giant panda, Eimei, at a zoo in western Japan's Wakayama Prefecture celebrated his 30th birthday on Wednesday, local media reported.

The Adventure World theme park in the town of Shirahama marked Eimei's landmark birthday by presenting him ice blocks that spelled out "Happy Birthday" and "30".

Eimei, who has fathered more than a dozen cubs, would be around 90 in human terms, officials of the facility said.

Eimei is not the oldest giant panda in the world, but he is the oldest to have naturally fathered cubs while in captivity. He has fathered 16 cubs to date, with the youngest named Fuhin, born in November 2020, according to Adventure World.

"I am deeply moved and very happy that Eimei turned 30 years old," said zookeeper Yuka Shinagawa, adding that "We hope he will continue to live in good health for a long time."

Born in China in 1992, Eimei arrived in Japan two years later.