Mei Sheng (,
lit. "Beautiful Life" or "Born in the USA"; born August 19, 2003) is a male
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 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 ...
. He is the second panda to be born at the zoo and is the first offspring of
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 ...
. He is the half-brother of
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 the brother of
Su Lin,
Zhen Zhen,
Yun Zi, and
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. ...
.
Mei Sheng was sent to China on November 5, 2007. He was reported to have arrived safely at the
Wolong National Nature Reserve
Wolong National Nature Reserve (from Chinese ), officially known as Wolong Special Administrative Region, is a national protected area located in Wenchuan County in China.
Established in 1963 with an initial size of about , the reserve was fur ...
on November 8, 2007.
After the
2008 Sichuan earthquake
An earthquake occurred in the province of Sichuan, China at 14:28:01 China Standard Time on May 12, 2008. Measuring at 8.0 (7.9–8.3 ), the earthquake's epicenter was located boxing the compass, west-northwest of Chengdu, the provincial ...
, Mei Sheng was relocated to
Bifengxia Panda Base, just outside Ya'an, where, in May 2009, he successfully copulated with a female giant panda, Ying Ying.
Ying Ying's female cub, born August 26, and named Shu Qing, was sired by either Mei Sheng or another male, Lu Lu.
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 ...
References
External links
San Diego Zoo Giant Panda Research Station
{{San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
Individual giant pandas
2003 animal births
San Diego Zoo