Ao Li

Ao Li (Chinese name: 奥利) is a male giant panda born on August 15, 2013 at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, assigned the global giant panda studbook number 1010. He is the offspring of giant pandas Pan Pan and Wu Wen, both part of the managed captive breeding population overseen by China’s national giant panda conservation program. His birth represented a successful addition to the carefully curated ex-situ population maintained to support the long-term viability of the vulnerable species. Per official monitoring records, Ao Li remains in healthy, active condition as of the latest assessment.

In August 2014, shortly after his first birthday, Ao Li was transferred to Shanghai Zoo, where he has resided continuously since. He is a participating individual in the coordinated ex-situ conservation breeding program developed by Chinese wildlife management authorities, which is designed to maintain genetic diversity within the captive panda population and reduce pressure on wild habitats. The conservation work carried out at Shanghai Zoo, including care and observation of Ao Li, feeds into cross-institutional research on panda reproductive health, dietary needs, and behavioral patterns that supports broader species protection goals.

Ao Li also plays a key role in public education and outreach at Shanghai Zoo. He regularly exhibits species-typical behaviors including bamboo foraging, tree climbing, and extended resting periods for the hundreds of thousands of visitors who view the zoo’s panda habitat each year. His consistent popularity has been credited with increasing public understanding of giant panda ecology and driving broader support for both in-situ conservation projects focused on protecting wild panda habitats in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces, and ex-situ breeding efforts across China’s network of panda care facilities. All data collected from routine health checks and behavioral observation of Ao Li is shared with the national giant panda conservation database to inform evidence-based protection policies for the species.