Pan Pan (giant panda)
| Species | Giant panda |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Born | c. 21 September 1985 Baoxing County, Sichuan, China |
| Died | (aged 31) Chengdu, China |
| Offspring | Bai Yun Tian Tian Lin Hui 29 additional offspring |
| Named after | Hope |
Pan Pan (Chinese: 盼盼; pinyin: Pàn pàn; lit. 'Hope'; c. 21 September 1985 – 28 December 2016) was a male giant panda who lived at the Giant Panda Protection and Research Centre in Chengdu, China. After being rescued from the wild, Li Wuke, who was taking care of another male panda named An An, also nursed Pan Pan back to health. Pan Pan was the biological father of 32 confirmed offspring, and has over 130 alleged descendants, which, in 2015, accounted for over a quarter of the world's captively bred pandas. At the time of his death, he was the oldest male giant panda in captivity. The oldest living giant panda in captivity at the time of Pan Pan's death was Basi, a female giant panda who was then 37.
Life and family
Pan Pan, whose name means "hope" in Chinese,[1] was born in the wild in Baoxing County, Sichuan, China, around 21 September 1985,[2] and after being rescued was placed in the Chengdu protection centre. He was taken care of by Li Wuke, who was taking care of another panda, An An.[1] Pan Pan also starred in the 1987 film Panda Story.[3]
Having fathered 32 offspring,[3] Pan Pan is thought to have had over 130 descendants – more than a quarter of the world's captive-bred panda population in late 2015.[4][5] Six months after Pan Pan arrived at Wolong, he fathered his first cub, a female named Bai Yun (born 7 September 1991).[1] He later sired Tian Tian (born 1997)[6][3] and Lin Hui (2001–2023).[7][8][9] Pan Pan is the grandfather of Fu Ni (born 2006).[3]
Later life and death
To celebrate his 30th birthday, Pan Pan was given the "Longevity Cake": a three-layered cake made to honour his status as the world's oldest living male giant panda. His zookeeper, Zhou Wenyong, estimated that Pan Pan would live for another ten years.[2] However, by the time Pan Pan turned 31, he suffered from health issues common among geriatric creatures, such as cataracts. Due to his condition, he was not available to the public.[10] Pan Pan died aged 31 at the Dujiangyan branch of the centre on 28 December 2016,[5][11] six months after being diagnosed with carcinoma.[10] He was recognized for being good at breeding,[5] a trait rare among giant pandas, and is referred to as the "Panda Grandpa".[6] News outlets said that Pan Pan's age translated to a human being over 100 years old,[2][10] and panda expert Guiquan Zhang estimated that a giant panda's ageing process is three to four times faster than a human's.[12] At the time of his death, he was the oldest male giant panda in captivity. The oldest living giant panda in captivity at the time of Pan Pan's death was Basi, a female who was 37.[13]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 Koerth-Baker, Maggie (28 November 2017). "The Complicated Legacy of a Panda Who Was Really Good at Sex". Archived from the original on 28 November 2017.
- 1 2 3 "世界最老雄性大熊猫迎30岁生日 后代有130多只" [The world's oldest male giant panda celebrates its 30th birthday with more than 130 offspring] (in Chinese). West China Metropolis Daily. 22 September 2015. Archived from the original on 13 August 2026. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Pan Pan | Panda Spotlight | Pandas International". 13 April 2013. Archived from the original on 1 September 2016.
- ↑ "China's captive giant panda population nearly doubles in decade". State Council of China. 21 November 2025. Archived from the original on 12 April 2026 – via Xinhua News Agency.
- 1 2 3 "World's oldest male panda Pan Pan dies aged 31". BBC World News, Asia. 30 December 2016. Archived from the original on 30 December 2016.
- 1 2 Penman, Maggie (30 December 2016). "'Panda Grandpa' Pan Pan Dies in China". NPR. Archived from the original on 31 December 2016.
- ↑ "Chiang Mai Zoo - www.giantpandazoo.com". Archived from the original on 26 June 2010. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
- ↑ "Welcome to Pandas International - About Us". Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
- ↑ Hall, Suzanne (13 June 2011). "Farewell to Panda Dong Dong". San Diego Zoo. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011.
- 1 2 3 "视频：大熊猫"盼盼"度过31岁生日 你还记得它吗?" [Video: Giant panda "Pan Pan" celebrates its 31st birthday—do you remember it?] (in Chinese). CCTV (China). 3 September 2016. Archived from the original on 13 August 2026.
- ↑ Freed, Benjamin (28 December 2016). "Grandfather of National Zoo's Panda Cubs Dies". Washingtonian (magazine).
Pan Pan, a 31-year-old male giant panda [...], died Wednesday at a conservation and research center in China.
- ↑ Hu, Meidong (1 December 2015). "北京亚运会"盼盼"原型熊猫迎来35岁生日" [Beijing Asian Games "panpan" prototype panda celebrates its 35th birthday] (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 13 December 2015.
- ↑ "Basi sets Guinness World Record as Oldest Panda". 13 January 2017. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
