Da Mao and Er Shun
.jpg) Da Mao in 2014 | |
| Species | Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) |
|---|---|
| Sex |
|
| Born | September 1, 2008 (Da Mao) August 10, 2007 (Er Shun)
|
| Residence |
|
| Offspring | Jia Yueyue and Jia Panpan |
Da Mao (Chinese: 大毛; pinyin: Dàmáo; born September 1, 2008) and Er Shun (Chinese: 二顺; pinyin: Èr shùn; lit. 'Double Smoothness'; born August 10, 2007) are two giant pandas. They were brought to Canada on March 25, 2013, and were supposed to spend five years each at Toronto Zoo and Calgary Zoo. Prior to departure, Er Shun's sex was unknown, as she had not reached full sexual maturity or undergone blood testing, so she was paired with a female panda from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. The female was later switched out for male Da Mao once scientists discovered that Er Shun was female.
Following Er Shun's first estrus, she was artificially inseminated, and after a suspected pseudopregnancy in 2014, Dao Mao and Er Shun had two cubs, Jia Yueyue and Jia Panpan, who were born at the Toronto Zoo on October 13, 2015. In May 2020, the Calgary Zoo requested that both pandas be returned to China due to the difficulty of importing bamboo during the COVID-19 pandemic. Er Shun returned to the Chongqing Zoo at the end of November 2020, with her cubs going with Da Mao to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding at that time.
Early life
Da Mao was born on September 1, 2008,[1] at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.[2] Er Shun was born on August 10, 2007, to mother Ya Ya (娅娅; Yà yà) and father Ling Ling (灵灵; Líng líng).[3] In Chinese, the name Er Shun means "double smoothness".[4]
Time in Canada
When plans were first made to bring giant pandas to Canada, Er Shun was believed to be male, and had been paired with a female from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding for the journey. Months before her departure her true sex was determined and the known female switched out for male Da Mao. Without blood testing, identifying panda sex is next to impossible until the animals reach full sexual maturity.[4]
Da Mao and Er Shun were brought to Canada on March 25, 2013, as part of a 10-year contract between the federal governments of Canada and China. The two pandas were supposed to spend five years each at Toronto Zoo and Calgary Zoo, but in May 2020, the Calgary Zoo requested that both pandas be returned to China due to the difficulty of importing bamboo during the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] With the pandas' arrival, the Toronto Zoo refurbished its seasonal attraction area into an extensive educational centre - the Giant Panda Interpretive Centre.[6]
Breeding attempts
In 2014, after her first estrus, Er Shun was artificially inseminated - the first such procedure performed on a panda in Canada.[6] No baby was born in that year and it was believed that Er Shun experienced a pseudopregnancy,[7] a phenomenon common in giant pandas.[8]
On October 13, 2015, Er Shun gave birth to two cubs, Jia Yueyue and Jia Panpan, the first giant pandas born in Canada.[9] One was born at 3:31 AM and weighed 187.7 g and the other was born at 3:44 AM and weighed 115 g. At this very small size, the cubs' chance of survival was low. It was announced on February 5, 2016, that the panda cubs were male (the larger panda) and female (smaller). They were not viewed by the public until the age of 5 months.[10]
Calgary Zoo and COVID-19
On March 23, 2018, Er Shun, her cubs, and Da Mao all left the Toronto Zoo to begin a five-year stay at the Calgary Zoo, by the agreement between the Canadian and Chinese governments. In May 2020, the Calgary Zoo requested that both Er Shun and Da Mao pandas be returned to China due to the difficulty of importing bamboo during the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][11] Er Shun returned to the Chongqing Zoo at the end of November 2020, with her cubs going with Da Mao to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding at that time.[12][13]
See also
References
- ↑ Werner, Stephanie (September 1, 2015). "Toronto panda Da Mao celebrates birthday". Toronto Star. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- ↑ "大熊猫"二顺"多伦多生崽"好事多磨"" [Giant Panda Er Shun Gives Birth in Toronto After a Long, Eventful Journey] (in Chinese). China News Service. October 14, 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Panda Er Shun: A Colorful Life". Panda Tribe. February 28, 2025. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - 1 2 "Toronto Zoo's mystery of the mistaken male panda". Toronto Star. December 6, 2012. Archived from the original on September 25, 2017. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
- 1 2 "Calgary Zoo to ship giant pandas back to China early due to bamboo supply problems". CBC. May 12, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
- 1 2 "What's Black and White and May Be Pregnant?". Toronto Zoo. June 12, 2014. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Giant Panda Update". Toronto Zoo. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021.
- ↑ Magnus, Gabriel; Dutton, Christopher; Mastromonaco, Gabriela; Gartley, Cathy; MacDonald, Suzanne; Franke, Maria (2022). "Luteal phase length, endometrial edema, and behavior differentiate post-ovulatory events in a giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)". Zoo Biology. 41 (2): 130–142. doi:10.1002/zoo.21655. PMID 34672395. S2CID 239051542.
- ↑ "Toronto Zoo announces birth of twin giant pandas". CBC News. October 13, 2015.
- ↑ "First Giant Panda Cubs Born in Canada". Toronto Zoo. October 13, 2015. Archived from the original on October 17, 2015.
- ↑ "Zoo to return pandas to China because bamboo too hard to get". NBC News. May 15, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
- ↑ "Giant Pandas at Calgary Zoo begin journey home to China". CBC. November 27, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
- ↑ "Twin giant pandas depart Calgary Zoo, arrive safely in China". January 13, 2020.
