An An

An An (studbook number 1417) is a male giant panda born on January 1, 2024, at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda. He is officially recorded as alive in the national giant panda population registries maintained by Chinese wildlife management authorities. His parents are Ba Ba and Mei Mei, both captive-bred giant pandas housed at the same research center, and his birth was part of the center’s long-running coordinated captive breeding program, which is designed to preserve and enhance the genetic diversity of the ex situ giant panda population to support long-term species resilience.

As of 2024, An An remains in residence at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda’s Wolong facility in Sichuan Province. He is enrolled in the center’s captive breeding monitoring and early life behavioral research initiatives, which track developmental milestones in juvenile giant pandas to refine captive care protocols, improve juvenile survival rates, and identify best practices for supporting healthy development in both captive and eventually reintroduced individuals. Care staff regularly observe An An engaging in age-typical juvenile behaviors, including frequent climbing of enclosure structures and playful interaction with purpose-built environmental enrichment items placed in his habitat to encourage natural foraging and movement patterns.

An An’s birth and public profile contribute to broader conservation and outreach efforts for the giant panda species, which is classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. As a visible representative of successful coordinated captive breeding work, he supports public education campaigns that raise awareness of habitat loss threats and drive support for protected reserve expansion across the giant panda’s native range in southwest China. His lineage is also tracked in the global giant panda studbook, ensuring he can be integrated into future breeding pair selections that avoid inbreeding and maintain the genetic health of the overall captive population.