A gift for arboreal gymnastics and the ability to consume bamboo in just about any position are only two of the newfound talents being perfected by giant pandas Yun Chuan and Xin Bao at the San Diego Zoo. What a difference eight months has made for the pair as they settled into a new home, in a new country, on a new continent! Since arriving at the Zoo last summer, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao have grown and matured in numerous ways, and in honor of National Panda Day (March 16), here is a little progress report on the beloved black-and-white bears.
Giant Panda Xin Bao uses the trees in her habitat for eating, lounging, and watching guests.
Getting the Hang of Things and Just Hanging Out
After a relatively brief acclimation period, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao became confident, active bears who wasted no time in discovering their favorite pastimes, reports Jana Biedenweg, a wildlife care specialist at the Zoo. “Xin Bao is definitely our tree lover,” Jana says. “It’s her favorite place.” Senior wildlife care specialist Jessica Wagner is quick to point out that for the four-year-old female panda, trees aren’t just for lounging. “She does these amazing flips in the branches for fun,” Jessica says, adding that even stationary moments in the trees have a purpose. “From her perch up there, she gets a nice view across the Zoo.”
Five-year-old Yun Chuan, on the other hand (or paw), seems to already be a San Diegan at heart. “Yun is so ‘go with flow,’ and he loves his pool,” Jana notes. “For him, there’s nothing like a dip on a warm day.” Could this affinity for the local climate be genetic? After all, Yun Chuan’s grandmother, Bai Yun, lived here at the San Diego Zoo for decades, and his mother, Zhen Zhen, was born here in 2007.
Prior to the bears’ arrival last summer, Denny Sanford Panda Ridge’s two habitats were expanded and revamped to offer the pandas a variety of terrain. Four times larger than the previous panda habitat, the newly refreshed and expanded Panda Ridge takes inspiration from the breathtaking, lush landscapes in and around giant pandas’ native habitats in Sichuan, Gansu, and Shaanxi provinces in China. Because pandas are generally solitary bears, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao live in adjoining (separate) habitats that they trade on a regular basis. And while it might seem tricky to tell them apart, there are differences in their appearances and physical characteristics. Yun Chuan, at approximately 250 pounds, is slightly larger than Xin Bao and is identifiable by his long, slightly pointed nose. Xin Bao, at a dainty 227 or so pounds, can be spotted by her large, round face and big ears. Differences aside, they are the picture of panda perfection.
Yun Chuan weighs approximately 250 pounds (as of early March 2025) and is slightly larger than Xin Bao. He is identifiable by his long, slightly pointed nose.
A Day in the Life
The pandas—and their care specialists—have developed a daily routine that provides the bears with stability. While they do have access to their outdoor habitat around the clock, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao generally sleep in their indoor habitats until around 6:45 a.m., when they enjoy a small pre-breakfast of bamboo. This snack keeps them busy while Jana and Jessica clean and reset their outdoor habitat, providing another 20 pounds or so of bamboo for the bears’ morning meal. “They are out on habitat munching on bamboo by 9 a.m.,” Jana explains. “The positions they get into when they are eating can be so funny—they’ll lay flat on their backs, feet in the air, with the bamboo on top of them, just chomping away.”
Throughout the day, Jana, Jessica, and other care team members interact with the pandas, offering the bears the opportunity to participate in voluntary health check activities such as a blood pressure check, ultrasound, dental check, or other medical exam. Having the chance to play a part in Yun Chuan and Xin Bao’s experiential growth is special, Jessica notes. “Watching the nuances in their behavior is fascinating,” she says. “They are very intelligent, and we have learned their body language. Their facial expressions change, and each bear has a distinct personality.” Jessica adds that those panda personalities are in flux. “They are now rambunctious, subadult bears. They’re maturing and becoming teenagers.”
These “teenagers” are also expressing themselves by rearranging their habitats. “Yun Chuan took out a tree in the smaller habitat, and both bears helped themselves to a bunch of planted bamboo,” Jessica says with a laugh. “They had a great time trampling and jumping on plants.” Every day is a new adventure with the pandas, and Jana and Jessica are proud of the role they—and the bears—play in giant panda conservation. What care team members learn from the pandas at the Zoo could someday benefit giant pandas and their native ecosystems in China. “I’d never worked with pandas before,” notes Jessica, who has previously helped care for large carnivores. “It’s been an incredible experience.”
Check out the pandas’ progress by visiting them at the San Diego Zoo or viewing the Giant Panda Cam online.
