The oldest panda in the world is recovering following initial reports that she was on her last legs because of a respiratory tract and lung infection.

Mei Mei, 36, the main attraction at a zoo in Guilin, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, has regained her ability to eat on her own since late last week, local media said.

According to the zoo's supervisor Shi Zhukui, Mei Mei had two bites of bamboo and 0.4 kilograms of milk on her own on Friday morning, a month after her health began to deteriorate because of age and hot weather.

She also reportedly walked out of the air-conditioned compound on Friday and enjoyed the sunshine for some minutes.

At first she had been unable to stand on her own.

Mei Mei, the sole giant panda in Guangxi, was taken into captivity in 1985 out of fears she would starve because of a shortage of bamboo. She was housed in the Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Centre in Sichuan Province.

She was once quite a fierce mammal and a big eater.

Former zoo director Shen Lantian said Mei Mei used to be able to eat five kilograms of bamboo in one meal, and on occasion had been rough enough to actually hurt zookeepers.

In 1989, experts attempted to impregnate her through artificial fertilization but failed.

She now is the equivalent of a 108-year-old human, as the average life expectancy of a panda is about 20.

She can no longer eat solid food and keepers have to feed her with dextrose infusions and milk.

Since her illness, keepers have supervised her round the clock. Her enclosure is air-conditioned and medicated 10 times a day.

"We selected a better antibiotic, which she had never used before," Shi said.

Reports of her waning health also attracted tourists who the keepers said had somewhat disturbed Mei Mei's rest.

The giant panda, whose existence is threatened by loss of habitat and a low birth rate, is always a hit.

Mei Xiang, 6, a giant panda at the United States National Zoo, gave birth to a cub on early Saturday.

(China Daily July 11, 2005)