A little more than 25 years ago, the outlook for giant pandas was bleak, and the species’ extinction appeared imminent. But thanks to the collaborative efforts of the last three decades, this narrative has changed from a story of decline to one of hope and progress. The improved status of giant pandas is a result of conservationists working together across countries and cultures to turn things around through the generation and application of science-based knowledge and government willpower. At the heart of all this are the partnerships built through mutual respect and shared objectives. And today, with giant pandas downlisted from Endangered to Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has renewed efforts to keep the panda on the path to recovery, as it is important for us to remember that although their circumstances have improved, there is still much work to do.
Building Relationships
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s giant panda conservation program began in earnest in 1996 with the arrival of Bai Yun and Shi Shi. This watershed event was celebrated by the zoo-going public, bringing joy to the millions able to see this iconic and charismatic species for the first time. It also led San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance to embark on a remarkable conservation journey. At that time, fewer than one thousand giant pandas remained in native habitats, and a conservation breeding program was needed as a hedge against extinction and to support future reintroduction, a needed strategy to bolster populations in native habitats. But there was a big problem—breeding pandas in human care had seen limited success. What was needed was an influx of scientific and wildlife care expertise to develop new management strategies for natural breeding, assisted reproductive technologies, and better methods to promote parent rearing by pandas and, when needed, human intervention. Given the state of scientific knowledge about giant pandas at the time, the task seemed impossible. We recognized immediately that—as they say—it was going to take a village.
Jump a few years forward, and we had forged a foundation of friendships, partnering with our colleagues at China’s Center for Research and Conservation of the Giant Panda, among others. Working together, we had filled many of the knowledge gaps that were limiting reproductive output (cubs!), health, and welfare. We also joined a long-term field program with partners in China, adding to our knowledge of understanding and managing populations of pandas living in nature, working with partners like the prestigious Chinese Academy of Sciences and China West Normal University, and making more friends along the way. We were part of the first team to ever use GPS collars to track pandas, and we made many scientific inroads that informed improved conservation strategies.
Teamwork for the Future: Leadership from San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and China Center for Research and Conservation of the Giant Panda came together in Wolong to celebrate the beginning of a new collaborative agreement for panda conservation.
Back in San Diego, we applied what we learned in China, and vice versa. Close study of the pandas in our care helped with many revelations for improved care and reproduction. We were also pleased to celebrate the birth of six cubs (one from artificial insemination, five from natural mating) at the San Diego Zoo. These cubs matured and returned to China, where they entered the conservation breeding program. This was a remarkable achievement, particularly since at the time of the first cooperative agreement, the global breeding program had not yet reached sustainable levels of reproduction, with mortalities exceeding births.
Today we know so much more about pandas’ foraging and habitat needs, their mating patterns and reproductive biology, how they communicate with one another, and obstacles to gene flow between fragmented and isolated populations. We also know a lot more about what makes a protected area work to preserve and improve habitats to support pandas. This growing foundation of knowledge made numerous contributions to panda recovery. Of course, our Chinese partners deserve the lion’s (panda’s?) share of credit for saving the panda, because they invested in establishing a network of reserves and implemented many regulations and policies that supported panda conservation. Now, in China, the population in human care has increased nearly fivefold, and the decline of pandas in their native habitat has halted, with populations slowly increasing. Box checked, pandas saved? No, conservation is a bit more complicated than that. Pandas remain conservation-dependent, so if we all walk away now, things are likely to worsen for the panda again.
DID YOU KNOW? Giant pandas have big molar teeth and strong jaws for crushing tough bamboo.
A New Era of Giant Panda Diplomacy
Over the past few years, we began communicating with our colleagues in China to embark on a new cooperative agreement for panda conservation. Things moved along steadily, but then in late fall 2023, “panda diplomacy” moved into high gear, and our planning was greatly accelerated. The positive trajectory and outcome from these discussions was founded on a long history of collaboration and partnership, strong leadership, and an almost symphonic coordination of all needed skills and expertise that San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance could bring to bear.
In summer 2024 we welcomed our new pair of giant pandas, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao. Their arrival has already generated much fanfare and public celebration, but also provided the opportunity for us to once again unite our expertise in wildlife care, health, and conservation science and apply it to the continued recovery of the panda.
A Sustainable Future for the Giant Panda
For our new cooperative agreement, we have proposed a conservation program that is framed by “One Health,” a concept that recognizes that the health of wildlife, people, and the ecosystems they share are inextricably linked. We interpret “health” broadly, reflecting a holistic approach that extends beyond the absence of disease to healthy individuals and populations demonstrating behavioral and reproductive competence, as well as healthy, functional ecosystems. This One Health framework will unite our areas of focus, including the health of individual giant pandas and conservation breeding populations in human care, as well as ensure the health of individuals slated for reintroduction to native habitats and native populations in China. Research conducted here at the San Diego Zoo will provide unparalleled opportunities to develop and validate new technologies and approaches that will support giant panda health in breeding centers and in native habitats and facilitate the development of conservation management strategies for native giant pandas and their changing habitat.
Reintroduction of giant pandas into their native habitat is a major strategy to bolster the health of the population and is a primary goal for the conservation breeding of giant pandas. Reintroductions are a powerful tool for bolstering both wildlife populations and genetic diversity. However, despite decades of improvements in the success of conservation breeding programs in China, the reintroduction of giant pandas born in human care to their native habitat has moved relatively slowly. With our experience in conservation translocations and by taking advantage of innovations in tracking and monitoring technologies, we hope to help our partners increase the number of reintroductions, bolstering smaller, isolated populations of giant pandas.
Yun Chuan and Xin Bao's arrival at the San Diego Zoo has provided the opportunity for us to once again unite our expertise in wildlife care, health, and conservation science and apply it to the continued recovery of—and brighter future for—the panda.
As for many wildlife species around the world, habitat fragmentation and degradation have been a major threat to giant pandas. The good news is that over the last 30 years, the Chinese government has set aside 70 protected areas for giant pandas. These areas have been critically important for the recovery of the species, and the increase in population numbers over the decades can be largely ascribed to these protected habitats. However, as some populations are small and isolated, efforts to create connectivity and promote gene flow have come to life with the establishment of Giant Panda National Park, which encompasses and expands all the panda reserves. We will work with our partners in China to understand whether the national park and the protected areas it contains truly do have all that pandas need for healthy growing populations, including old growth trees for maternal dens, healthy stands of bamboo to support nutritional needs, and a minimal amount of disturbance or overlap with human activities, such as agriculture and roads. To contribute to this effort, we will take advantage of advancements in monitoring technologies to “observe” pandas and their habitat remotely.
The Future is in Our Hands
With our partners in China, we have demonstrated that when we work together, we can achieve what was once thought to be impossible—reversing the decline of giant pandas. And with our partners, we will continue to work tirelessly for their continued recovery, focusing on increasing populations in their native habitats and monitoring the health and functionality of the ecosystems they depend on.
