Ba Si

Ba Si (studbook number 324) was a female giant panda born on January 1, 1980, in the wild Minshan mountain range of Sichuan Province, to two unidentified wild giant panda parents. She was rescued later that year after sustaining an injury in her native habitat, and officially transferred to Fuzhou Panda World in Fuzhou, Fujian Province on January 1, 1981, where she received long-term dedicated care for the remainder of her life. She passed away in 2017 at the age of 37, making her one of the longest-lived giant pandas ever recorded in a captive setting, a milestone that offered unique insights into panda longevity and geriatric care for the species.

As a wild-born individual, Ba Si’s genetic material made a notable contribution to expanding the genetic diversity of the global captive giant panda population managed by the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, supporting the long-term health and sustainability of the captive breeding program. Beyond her genetic value, she gained widespread public recognition as the original model for the mascot of the 1990 Beijing Asian Games, a role that introduced giant panda conservation messaging to hundreds of millions of viewers across Asia and the world during the international sporting event.

Throughout her decades at Fuzhou Panda World, Ba Si was known for her calm, interactive temperament that made her a favorite among visiting guests. She was a core participant in the facility’s public education programming, with her rescue story and long life in human care used to teach visitors about the history of giant panda protection efforts and the importance of wild individual rescue initiatives. Her decades of observation by care staff and researchers also provided a wealth of valuable data on giant panda aging, nutritional needs across life stages, and captive welfare best practices, findings that continue to inform giant panda care protocols globally. Even following her passing, her legacy remains central to Fuzhou Panda World’s educational offerings, serving as a tangible example of the positive impact of coordinated species conservation work.