Short term loan – Ba Si & Yuan Yuan

The People’s Republic of China sent two giant pandas, Ba Si and Yuan Yuan, to the San Diego Zoo for a 200-day loan in 1987. This loan was symbolic of the San Diego Zoo’s long-term friendship and valuable animal trade relationship with the Chinese government and zoos.

The Fuzhou pandas were exercised daily by their keepers. More than two million people were able to view the pandas during their stay.

Ba Si (female) was born approximately in 1980.

She has studbook number 264.

She was found starving high in the rugged Qionglai Mountains of central China. The starving female panda, who was named Ba Si after the gully in which she was found (Ba Si Gou), was nursed back to health in a Baoxing County giant panda resuce station that had been set up by  the Chinese government. Ba Si was starving because the bamboo died in 1983, the year before she was rescued, in several regions of the Qionglai Mountains.
After Ba Si regained her strength, she moved to the Fuzhou Zoo. She arrived at her new home on May 6, 1984.

She came to San Diego Zoo on July 23, 1987 with Yuan Yuan. They left San Diego on February 10, 1988. One day later, they arrived back in their home town Fuzhou. She was loaned to Chengdu Zoo in April, 1988 and to Beijing Zoo from September 16 until November 13, 1990. Ba Si lives at Fuzhou Zoo.

Yuan Yuan (male) was born approximately in 1978.

He has studbook number 282.

He was found starving by a panda patrol during the bamboo die-off in the Qionglai Mountains in 1985. He was named Yuan Yuan after Yuantuo Shan (Round Head Hill), the area where he was found. He moved to the Chengdu Zoo on March 13, 1985. He was transferred to the Fuzhou Zoo on September 11, 1986.

He came to San Diego Zoo on July 23, 1987 with Ba Si. They left San Diego on February 10, 1988. One day later, they arrived back in their home town Fuzhou.

Yuan Yuan died on July 9, 1995 at the Fuzhou Zoo.

Shi Shi

Shi Shi (male) was born approximately in 1980.

He has studbook number 381.
His name means “Rock” in Chinese.

On March 30, 1992 he was found critically wounded with slashes on his back, face and limbs, probably from a fight with another male panda in Wenchuan. A Chinese villager found Shi Shi, and he was rescued by the Forestry Bureau of Wenchuan County. He was transferred to the China Research and Conservation Center for Giant Panda in Wolong where Chinese veterinarians saved his life. He required several months of care for his wounds to heal and because of the seriousness of his injuries, he was not able to be returned to the wild.

He came to the San Diego Zoo on September 10, 1996 with Bai Yun.

He spent six years in the United States as part of San Diego Zoo’s research program. Shi Shi went back home to the China Research and Conservation Center for Giant Panda in Wolong on January 9, 2003. 

Shi Shi is the father of Hua Mei.

He moved to the Ghuangzhou Zoo on September 26, 2003.
Shi Shi died on July 5, 2008 at the Ghuangzhou Zoo.

Hua Mei

Hua Mei (female) was born on August 21, 1999 at the San Diego Zoo.

She has studbook number 487.
Her name means “China – U.S.A.” and “Splendid Beauty” in Chinese.

Her mother is Bai Yun (371) and her father is Shi Shi (381).
She is the first cub to be born in the San Diego Zoo and the first cub born in the United States that survived.

On February 22, 2001, Hua Mei was separated from her mother. Giant pandas are solitary animals by nature and by this stage of development in the wild, panda cubs and their mothers would be parting ways and seeking their own territories.

Hua Mei left her birth town San Diego on February 10, 2004. She moved to her parents native country China, to participate in the giant panda breeding program. She will be living at the China Research and Conservation Center for Giant Panda in Wolong.

Hua Mei is the mother of 7 cubs.
She gave birth to a set of twins in September 2004, August 2005 & July 2007. She gave birth to a single cub in July 2009.

She moved to the Ya’an Bifengxia Base of CCRCGP on May 23, 2008 after an earthquake damaged Wolong.

Mei Sheng

Mei Sheng (male) was born on August 19, 2003 at the San Diego Zoo.

He has studbook number 563.
His name means “Born in the USA” and “Beautiful Life”.

His mother is Bai Yun (371) and his father is Gao Gao (415).
He is the second cub to be born in the San Diego Zoo.

Mei Sheng left his birth town San Diego on November 5, 2007. He moved to his parents native country China, to participate in the giant panda breeding program. He will be living at the China Research and Conservation Center for Giant Panda in Wolong.

He moved to the Ya’an Bifengxia Base of CCRCGP on February 19, 2008.

Su Lin

Su Lin (female) was born on August 2, 2005 at the San Diego Zoo.

She has studbook number 596.
Her name means “A Little Bit Of Something Very Cute” in Chinese.

Her mother is Bai Yun (371) and her father is Gao Gao (415).
She is the third cub to be born at the San Diego Zoo.

Zhen Zhen

Zhen Zhen (female) was born on August 3, 2007 at the San Diego Zoo.

She has studbook number 694.
Her name means “Precious” is Chinese.

Her mother is Bai Yun (371) and her father is Gao Gao (415).
She is the fourth cub to be born at the San Diego Zoo.