Ai Jiu

Ai Jiu (Chinese name: 艾玖) is a female giant panda born on August 10, 2017 at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, with the global captive giant panda studbook number 1059. She is the daughter of male giant panda Jin Ke and female giant panda Ke Jiu, and her lineage carries valuable genetic diversity that supports the long-term health of managed captive panda populations. Standardized genetic tracking conducted as part of international giant panda conservation programs has documented her line as a useful contribution to breeding initiatives designed to avoid inbreeding and preserve the species’ full genetic range.

Ai Jiu has resided at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding for her entire life to date, receiving routine health monitoring and participating in the base’s standardized ex situ conservation protocols. As a subadult panda, she displays species-typical behavioral patterns, devoting an estimated 10 to 16 hours per day to foraging on a variety of bamboo species provided by the base’s care team, with the remaining time largely spent resting or engaging in short periods of exploratory activity. Animal care staff conduct regular non-invasive observations of her feeding, social, and resting behaviors to track her developmental progress and identify any potential health concerns at an early stage.

As a public-facing resident of one of the world’s leading giant panda conservation institutions, Ai Jiu is a familiar and popular attraction for both domestic and international visitors to the Chengdu Base. Her on-exhibit habitat is part of the base’s public education programming, which uses regular broadcasts of her daily activities and on-site interpretive materials to teach guests about giant panda ecology, the threats facing wild panda populations, and the role of captive breeding in global conservation efforts. Her ongoing participation in coordinated breeding monitoring programs will support future efforts to maintain the genetic viability of the global captive giant panda population, as well as potential future reintroduction initiatives for the species.