Ai Bao

Ai Bao, a female giant panda with studbook number 879, was born on July 13, 2013, at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda. Her formal Chinese name is 爱宝, and she is registered in the global giant panda population tracking system overseen by international cooperative conservation bodies, ensuring her genetic and life history data is integrated into species management frameworks. Her lineage traces to wild-caught giant panda ancestors, with her dam, Lin Bing, holding studbook number 690 and her sire, Pan Pan, holding studbook number 474. This genetic heritage positions her as a high-value individual for captive breeding programs designed to maintain the genetic diversity of the managed giant panda population, a core component of ex-situ conservation efforts for the species.

On her first birthday, July 13, 2014, Ai Bao was transferred to Everland Resort’s Panda World in South Korea as part of a long-term Sino-Korean giant panda conservation cooperation agreement. She currently resides at the facility, where she participates in integrated ex-situ conservation, education, and breeding research programs. The resort provides structured public viewing access to Ai Bao, with on-site interpretive materials that outline the primary threats to wild giant panda populations, including habitat fragmentation and climate change, as well as ongoing protection and restoration initiatives across their native range in central China.

Ai Bao is noted among keepers and visitors for her consistent active foraging behavior and notably calm temperament, traits that have made her a widely recognized cultural draw for both South Korean domestic visitors and international tourists to Everland. Her presence at the facility has been linked to a measurable increase in public engagement with giant panda conservation messaging in the country, with related educational programs reaching over 1 million visitors as of 2024. As a healthy adult individual in a managed captive setting, she also contributes to ongoing global research on giant panda reproductive biology, dietary needs, and behavioral adaptability, findings that directly inform both captive care protocols and wild habitat recovery strategies to support the long-term resilience of the species.