Jia Jia, the longest-living giant panda in captivity, was put to sleep on Sunday at Ocean Park in Hong Kong, where she was widely known for her fondness for playing with a lavender scented cloth and her gentle disposition.

As Suzanne Gendron, executive director of zoological operations, conservation and education at the park, observed, "How could someone not love her?"

Jia Jia turned 38 in August, equal to 114 human years, and held two Guinness World Records - the oldest giant panda in captivity and the oldest living panda in captivity. She was found as a cub in 1980 in the wilds of the Tangjiahe Nature Reserve in Sichuan province.