Zhen Zhen () is a female
giant panda
The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear or simply panda, is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its white animal coat, coat with black patches around the eyes, ears, legs and shoulders. ...
born on August 3, 2007, to
Bai Yun
Bai Yun (; born September 7, 1991) was the first female giant panda who was born at the Wolong Giant Panda Research Center in China. From September 1996 she lived at the San Diego Zoo for more than 20 years, until being returned to China in May ...
and
Gao Gao
Gao Gao () is a male giant panda formerly at the San Diego Zoo from 2003 to 2018 and was then returned to China. He was diagnosed with a heart murmur in 2013. His right testicle was removed for health in 2014. To date, he has fathered five giant p ...
at the
San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo is a zoo in San Diego, California, United States, located in Balboa Park (San Diego), Balboa Park. It began with a collection of animals left over from the 1915 Panama–California Exposition that were brought together by its ...
. Her name means "Precious". She is Bai Yun's fourth cub, and Gao Gao's third. Zhen Zhen has one half sibling,
Hua Mei
Hua Mei (; intended meaning: "China/USA") (born August 21, 1999) is a female giant panda. She is the first giant panda cub to survive to adulthood in the United States. She was born to Bai Yun (mother) and Shi Shi (father) at the San Diego Zoo ...
, and four full siblings,
Mei Sheng
Mei Sheng (, lit. "Beautiful Life" or "Born in the USA"; born August 19, 2003) is a male giant panda born at the San Diego Zoo. He is the second panda to be born at the zoo and is the first offspring of Bai Yun and Gao Gao. He is the half-broth ...
,
Su Lin,
Yun Zi
Yun Zi () is a male giant panda born at the San Diego Zoo on August 5, 2009. His name is "Son of Cloud (Yun)" in Chinese.Xiao Liwu
Xiao Liwu (; meaning: "Little Gift") is a male giant panda born at the San Diego Zoo on July 29, 2012.
Xiao Liwu is the sixth cub born to his mother Bai Yun, and the fifth for his father Gao Gao. He has one half-sister, Hua Mei, through Bai Yun. ...
. Like her full siblings, Zhen Zhen was conceived via natural mating.
Zhen Zhen made her public debut on December 22, 2007, and was weaned in early 2009. Zhen Zhen, along with her sister Su Lin, were sent to
Bifengxia Panda Base in China on September 24, 2010.
In 2018, Zhen Zhen was released into the wild as part of a research project, with a collar attached to her neck. She walked through a village when finding food, drawing attention from the residents. Zhen Zhen explored for several hours, before being sedated and brought back to the Wolong Shensuping Panda Base. Wu Daifu, the director of the Hetaoping panda training base said in a phone interview with China Central Television that the base allows Zhen Zhen out of her enclosure to possibly mate with wild pandas.
In 2019, Zhen Zhen gave birth to a male, Yun Chuan. In 2024, Yun Chuan was sent to the
San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo is a zoo in San Diego, California, United States, located in Balboa Park (San Diego), Balboa Park. It began with a collection of animals left over from the 1915 Panama–California Exposition that were brought together by its ...
, Zhen Zhen's birthplace.
See also
*
List of giant pandas
This is a partial list of giant pandas, both alive and deceased. The giant panda is a conservation-reliant species, conservation-reliant vulnerable species. Wild population estimates of the bear vary; one estimate shows that there are about 1,590 ...
*
List of individual bears
The following is a list of individual bears ( other than individual giant pandas) which garnered national or worldwide attention:
Actors
* Bart the Bear, a male Alaskan Kodiak bear, played the leading role in the 1988 wilderness drama, '' The Be ...
Notes
External links
Zhen Zhen's San Diego Zoo Profile
Individual giant pandas
2007 animal births
San Diego Zoo
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