Giant pandas around the world

As of 2019, there are 25 zoos in 20 countries and area(s) outside of mainland China, (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United States) that have giant pandas. These zoos have contracts with China to house these pandas for a few years. Exceptions include some of the pandas held at Ocean Park Hong Kong, and the three pandas held at Taipei Zoo, which are given from the Chinese Mainland, and one panda held in Mexico. Giant pandas are on the IUCN Red List so part of the reason these contracts exist between China and international zoos is to try to help the species reproduce before they are brought back to their native land. For this reason, pandas are treated very well.
In Berlin Zoo, Berlin, Bao Bao (1978–2012) was one of the first two giant pandas in Germany and became—for a time—the oldest known panda in zoos. He was together with the female panda Tjen Tjen (who died in 1984) given to West Germany by China in 1980. Between 1991 and 1993 Bao Bao was loaned to London Zoo. In 1995, back in his Berlin home, another female named Yan Yan was sent on loan from China in an attempt to mate Bao Bao. In spite of several artificial insemination experiments there were no offspring. Yan Yan died in 2007. In summer 2017, giant pandas returned to Berlin, when Jiao Qing and Meng Meng arrived on breeding loan from China. In September 2019, Meng Meng gave birth to twin panda cubs.
ZooParc de Beauval, Saint-Aignan, Loir-et-Cher, France is home to Huan Huan (F) and Yuan Zi (M) since 15 January 2012. She gave birth to two cubs in 2017 but only one survived, Yuan Meng. She also gave birth to two other cubs in 2021: Petite Neige and Fleur de Coton. Both of them can be seen through a live camera in the zoo.
Belgian zoo Pairi Daiza hosts two giant pandas as of March 2025; Hao Hao and Xing Hui which have been on loan from China since April 2014. Tian Bao was born in Pairi Daiza on 2 June 2016; he is the baby of Hao Hao and Xing Hui. On 8 August 2019, Hao Hao gave birth to a male and a female. As per traditional Chinese custom they received their names, Bao Di (meaning 'little brother') and Bao Mei (meaning 'little sister'), only 100 days after they were born. All three cubs were supposed to be sent back to China around the 4th birthday of the twins, however because of travel restrictions due to Covid-19 this schedule was delayed. On 10 December 2024, the Belgian-born pandas left for China. Hao Hao and Xing Hui, the original breeding pair, are slated to remain on loan to Pairi Daiza until at least 2029.
Chi Chi was a female giant panda born in Sichuan, China in 1954, and was caught in May 1955 in Baoxing, Sichuan, and moved to the Beijing Zoo in June. In May 1957, Kliment Voroshilov made a request for a panda for the Moscow Zoo during his visit to China, and she was sent to Moscow with another panda in the same month. However, despite this, their attempts to mate them were unsuccessful due to sexual imprinting as a result of being reared by human keepers. She was then moved to the London Zoo in 1958. Chi Chi was stuffed and is now an exhibit at the national history museum.
Tian Tian and Yang Guang are the pandas that were housed in Edinburgh Zoo in the UK. They lived in £275,000 suites and had organic food flown in from the Continent. They were on loan from China and returned in 2023. "Tian Tian and Yang Guang have been put in enclosures designed by animal psychologists, which come complete with dens, private pools, a viewing platform and a room where the pandas will be given health check-ups." In their new habitats, each panda had a climbing frame that enabled them to see each other over the tops of their enclosures. The design of the habitat resembled their natural habitat in the wild. They had caves to sleep in and rocks where they laid. In December 2023, the Pandas returned to China after 12 years.
The former elephant enclosure became the Panda House at the Tiergarten Schönbrunn Zoo with well-structured grounds (1015 m) adapted. These pandas are also fed a nutritious diet, and provided with proactive medical care and a dedicated nurse team—one of the most important aspects of the panda attitude. Air-conditioning and a fog machine were installed in their habitat to keep the pandas safe and happy on hot summer days.
Finnish Ähtäri Zoo used to host two giant pandas named Lumi (F) and Pyry (M). They arrived in Finland 18 January 2018 and opened for public 17 February, after one month of quarantine. They were named after the snowstorm that prevailed at the time they arrived in Finland. Lumi means snow in Finnish, while Pyry is the equivalent of snowfall. In September 2024, it was announced that both giant pandas were to be returned to China. The pandas returned to China on November 23rd 2024.
The Zoo Aquarium in Madrid is the home of Jin Xi (M) and Zhu Yu (F), who arrived in Spain in April 2024. They will be on display to visitors from the end of May 2024, following a month of quarantine.
Previously, Bing Xing (M) and Hua Zuiba (F) were at Zoo Aquarium Madrid from 2007 - 2024. They gave birth to twin cubs You You (M) and Jiu Jiu (M) on 7 September 2010. Further cubs Xing Bao (F), was born in 2013 and Chulina (F) in September 2016. The zoo was also the site of the first giant panda birth in Europe, Chulin (M) in 1982 whose parents, Shao Shao (F) and Chang Chang (M), arrived in 1978. Chulin (M, 1982) was the first panda to be born in captivity in the western hemisphere by artificial insemination
On 4 April 2019 Copenhagen Zoo received two pandas, Xing Er, and Mao Sun. The pandas live in a brand new enclosure designed by Bjarke Ingels Group and civil engineer company MOE.
The Dutch Zoo Ouwehands Dierenpark houses two giant pandas named Xing Ya and Wu Wen. They live in a 3,400-meter Chinese-style enclosure. Wu Wen gave birth to a cub on 1 May 2020. The cub, named Fan Xing, has since been repatriated. Wu Wen gave birth to two more cubs on 12 July 2024, of which only one survived. The cub was named Lang Yue.
Since 2019, Moskovsky Zoopark in Moscow houses the two giant pandas Ru Yi and Ding Ding.
Adelaide Zoo in Australia is home to the southern hemisphere's largest and only giant panda centre. The exhibit known as the Bamboo Forest has housed four pandas since opening in 2009. It is currently home to two pandas called Xing Qiu and Yi Lan, who live together as male and female pair. They also live alongside two Red pandas called Ravi and Mishry.
Considering the different climate of the southern hemisphere, the landscape of the exhibit is carefully procured to mirror the distinct lush temperate bamboo forests of the Sichuan province in China. The giant panda exhibit covers over 3,000 m and is fitted with advanced climate-control systems to maintain temperatures suitable for pandas, mimicking the cool, humid climate of their native regions. The exhibit gives the pandas several options, such as outside landscaped rock formations, water features, and native Chinese vegetation to replicate the terrain and provide enrichment. There are additional indoor habitats and natural caves to provide comfort during different seasons. The zoo has specialist keeper teams dedicated to both species of pandas and veterinary staff on hand at the zoo to ensure their welfare.
In 1999, a pair of giant pandas, a male named An An (安安) and a female called Jia Jia (佳佳), were given to Ocean Park by mainland China to mark the 2nd anniversary of Hong Kong's 1997 handover from UK to China. In 2007, two more pandas, a male called Le Le (樂樂) and a female named Ying Ying (盈盈), were given to Hong Kong to mark the 10th anniversary of the city's handover.
On 28 July 2015, Jia Jia turned 37 years old and was subsequently recognised by the Guinness World Records as the oldest panda currently living in captivity and the oldest panda to ever live in captivity. The previous record was held by a male panda named Du Du, who was kept at Wuhan Zoo in China.
In October 2016, Jia Jia's health condition began to rapidly deteriorate, exhibiting weight loss and a lack of interest in food and fluids. The panda experienced age-related health deteriorations in previous years, and had high blood pressure, arthritis, and cataracts in both eyes. On 16 October 2016, having been found unable to walk, Jia Jia was euthanised to prevent suffering. She was aged 38 (about 114 years old in human years). The species' average life expectancy is below 20 years in the wild, but can be higher under human care.
On 21 July 2022, An An was euthanised following age-related health deteriorations. At the age of 35 (about 105 years old in human years), he was the world's oldest male giant panda in captivity. The decision to euthanise was made by veterinarians from the park and the government's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, following consultation with the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda.
On 1 July 2024, it was announced that the Chinese government would gift a new pair of giant pandas to Ocean Park in the coming few months, to commemorate the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover. The park first revealed that it was in discussions of requesting two more pandas back in May 2023.
In April 2019, Ocean Park considered sending the 13-year-old panda pair Le Le and Ying Ying to the Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan for mating, following poor success with reproduction since their arrival in the park. Ying Ying had previously been sent back there in 2015, where she soon became pregnant but later miscarried. She had three phantom pregnancies in the following years.
In April 2020, the panda pair mated with each other for the first time, at the age of 14. This was considered a breakthrough as male and female giant pandas become sexually mature at seven and five years old respectively. In August 2023, a team of experts from Sichuan arrived at Ocean Park to assist with the park's breeding efforts. On 15 August 2024, Ying Ying gave birth to naturally conceived twins, one female and one male, which were also the first giant pandas to be born in Hong Kong. This made Ying Ying the oldest recorded giant panda to have successfully given birth, at one day before her 19th birthday (equivalent to 57 human years). The pregnancy began when Ying Ying and Le Le naturally mated in March 2024, but was kept secret by the park until after the twins' delivery. The two panda cubs – especially the female – were said by the park to be "very fragile" post-delivery, and needed time to stabilise before introduced to the public.
The wild giant panda population in China is no longer endangered, with a population in the wild exceeding 1,800 according to the fourth wild giant panda population investigation. Around 75% of these pandas are found in Sichuan province, inhabiting 49 counties across Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces within a habitat area of 2.58 million hectares. To protect the wild population, China established 67 natural reserves for giant pandas, covering 53.8% of their habitat and 66.8% of the wild population. As of the end of 2020, there were 633 captive giant pandas, and 11 of them have been successfully reintroduced into the wild, with 9 surviving. These conservation efforts are crucial for the survival and long-term sustainability of the giant panda species.
The largest panda exhibit built in Southeast Asia, this exhibit spans 1,500 m². Simulating the bears’ natural habitat with lush plantings, boulders, and water features, the state-of-the-art biodome is also temperature- and humidity-controlled to ensure the pandas’ comfort. River Safari has two pandas named Kai Kai and Jia Jia on a 10 year loan. On 14 August 2021, Jia Jia successfully gave birth to a panda cub named Le Le.
There are currently three pandas living in Taiwan. Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan were sent by mainland China to Taiwan in 2008 as part of an exchange program. The couple has two cubs, Yuan Zai, born in 2013, and Yuan Bao, born in 2020. The two pandas were given to Taiwan rather than leased, thus them and their offspring are Taiwanese-owned. Tuan Tuan died in 2022.
Ming Ming and Li Li were bred from 1994 to 1998.
Ai Bao (lovely treasure) and Le Bao (pleasant treasure) were sent by President Xi Jinping to South Korea in 2016 as a state gift. Ai Bao naturally conceived and gave birth to Fu Bao (happy treasure) on 20 July 2020. Fu Bao is the first panda to be born in Korea. The family currently resides in 'Panda World' of Everland, a popular theme park in Korea. Fu Bao received global attention when a video of her went viral on Youtube. The Korea's first natural twin cubs, Rui Bao (wise treasure) and Hui Bao (shining treasure) were born on 7 July 2023. They are assumed to be female, making Fu Bao the eldest sister of the Bao Family. As of 2024, Fu Bao has returned to China.
Ri Ri and Shin Shin joined Japan's oldest zoo, Ueno Zoo, in 2011. In 2012, they had a baby panda who did not survive long. But in 2016, Shin Shin gave birth to Xiang Xiang. After nearly four years, the couple were found mating again, and in 2021 Shin Shin delivered twins, Xiao Xiao and Ray Ray. Ueno first exhibited pandas in 1972-1973 (Kang Kang and Lang Lang arrived in Tokyo to establish diplomatic relations with China and Japan, only for a temporary exhibition), and first bred them in 1986.
Liang Liang and Xing Xing were sent to Zoo Negara, Malaysia on 21 May 2014 under the Giant Panda International Conservation Cooperation Agreement Programme. The agreement requires all giant panda cubs to be returned to China once they reach between 24 months and four years old. As of 2021, three panda cubs have been born in Zoo Negara—Nuan Nuan (born 18 August 2015), Yi Yi (born 14 January 2018) and Sheng Yi (born 31 May 2021).
Cai Tao and Hu Chun were introduced to Taman Safari Indonesia in September 2017. Cai Tao and Hu Chun were born at the Bifengxia Panda Base in Bifengxia, Ya'an, Sichuan, China. The arrival process of Cai Tao and Hu Chun had been carried out for a long time, marked by the construction of the "Panda Palace" which would later become their home in Taman Safari. Cai Tao and Hu Chun have travelled more than 4,400 kilometres, taking off from Shuangliu International Airport in Chengdu, China on 28 September 2017, travelling five and a half hours until arriving at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport. After undergoing an adjustment period of approximately two months, the two of them finally began to be displayed in November 2017.
Zoo Atlanta has several giant pandas being loaned from China. The loan fee that the zoo pays goes towards the conservation of giant pandas. The zoo itself has given over ten million dollars for giant panda conservation. Their projects include infrastructure, research, and management. Zoo Atlanta’s loan later expired in 2024 with the pandas making their return trip to China by October 2024.
In April 2003, the Memphis Zoo became one of only four U.S. zoos to exhibit the giant panda on a long term loan basis. One male and one female giant panda ("Ya Ya" and "Le Le") share their 3-acre (1.2 ha) home with several other species native to China, in the first Memphis Zoo exhibit to be built as a zoogeographical exhibit. The buildings, plant life and even the sounds of China are represented in this $16 million exhibit. On February 3, 2023, the Memphis Zoo announced that Le Le had passed away at 25 years old. Ya Ya began the return journey to China, after twenty years at Memphis Zoo, in April, 2023. Chinese social media users and activists had shown concerns over the panda's welfare and treatment.
At the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, zookeepers provide various forms of enrichment to their giant pandas and switch up their routine. They provide honey, apples, and leaf-eater biscuits inside the panda toys. The toys are usually made of plastic, rubber, and bamboo to ensure that the pandas don't break the toys too easily. Giant Pandas are allowed to play with water bottles, burlap bags, blankets, boxes, and fruitsicles—frozen fruit juice and water with cut-up fruit inside. The exhibit itself includes a room with a waterfall and rocky outcrop, a den, and several sustainable design features. There are green roofs, a solar hot water system, and natural material for the visitor paths. Not only is the exhibit sustainable, but it also creates an environment that allows for the pandas to stay at a cool temperature when it is hot outside while providing areas for privacy. Short trees, shrubs, pools, and streams, allow them to stay comfortable at all times. The National Zoo has had 4 cubs: Tai Shan, Bao Bao and Bei Bei, who all live in China (Bei Bei was sent to China on 19 November 2019.) The 4th, born 21 August 2020 is named Xiao Qi Ji (Mandarin Chinese for "Little Miracle") born when his mother, Mei Xiang was 22—the oldest female panda in North America to give birth. On November 8, 2023, the three pandas returned to China. On October 15, 2024, the zoo received two new pandas—Bao Li and Qing Bao—on a 10 year lease from China.
The San Diego Zoo had Giant Pandas on-loan from China from 1996–2019 as part of the breeding program that successfully boosted the Giant Panda from "endangered" to "vulnerable." The agreement for the San Diego Zoo to house the breeding pair of Bai Yun and Xiao Liwu ended in 2019, and the pandas returned on 27 April 2019. In 2024, the San Diego Zoo signed another agreement to keep pandas on-loan from China, and on 28 June 2024, the breeding pair Yun Chuan and Xin Bao arrived at the zoo, being the first pandas to be sent to the United States in 21 years.
Other American zoos have hosted Giant Pandas on more limited basis prior to the requirement for long term periods of at least 10 years. Zoos such as Columbus Zoo and Toledo Zoo have hosted Giant Pandas in 1992 and 1988 respectively.
The Chapultepec Zoo (Zoológico de Chapultepec) is one of the four zoos of Mexico City, and it is especially famous for its success in giant panda breeding; in 1980 Chapultepec Zoo became the first institution outside of China to successfully breed the previously endangered species in captivity. The first bear born, Xeng-Li, lived only eight days after its 10 August birth but was accidentally smothered by its mother, Yin-Yin.
In total there have been eight live births at the zoo. The most famous panda to have lived at the zoo is Tohui (1981–1993). As of November 2019, the two female giant pandas who live at the zoo, Shuan Shuan (b. 1988) and Xin Xin (b. 1990), are the oldest Giant Pandas in captivity. Shuan Shuan died in 2022, leaving Xin Xin as the last surviving panda in Mexico.
The pandas at Chapultepec are special in that China does not have ownership. The original pair was given to Mexico and subsequent pandas have all been born prior to the change in policy from gifting to loaning. Zoo officials have also come to an agreement with China that any new offspring born at Chapultepec will belong to China. However, these pandas will be allowed to stay at the zoo (in contrast to other institutions, where offspring have to be returned to China after reaching five years of age).
Giant pandas Jia Yueyue and Jia Panpan were born to Er Shun and Da Mao at Toronto Zoo in Ontario. The twins were then relocated to the Calgary Zoo in March 2018. They were relocated to China in 2020 due to a bamboo shortage caused by supply chain issues after moving to the Calgary Zoo in Alberta. Prior to Jia Yueyue and Jia Panpan, the Assiniboine Park Zoo hosted the giant pandas Rong Rong and Chuan Chuan in the 1980s.