Bo Si
博斯
16 years old
wolong_base
Bo Si (博斯, studbook #750) is a female giant panda born August 7, 2009 at the Ya'an Bifengxia Base. Daughter of Tian Tian...
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Panda archive
Bao Bao
宝宝
alive female
Born August 23, 2013
Bao Bao (宝宝, studbook #897) is a female giant panda born on August 23, 2013 at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C. She is the daughter of Tian Tian and Mei Xiang (#461). She returned to China in February 2017 and now resides at the Wolong Shenshuping Base. She is the mother of Dun Dun (顿顿), Bao Li (宝力), and Bao Yuan (宝元).
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Profile snapshot
Quick facts
Birth date
August 23, 2013
Birth place
Smithsonian National Zoological Park
Current location
Wolong Shenshuping Panda Base
Status
Alive
Studbook
#897Archive activity
6 updates · 1 media
Narrative
Life story
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Short version
Bao Bao (宝宝, studbook #897) is a female giant panda born on August 23, 2013 at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C. She is the daughter of Tian Tian and Mei Xiang (#461). She returned to China in February 2017 and now resides at the Wolong Shenshuping Base. She is the mother of Dun Dun (顿顿), Bao Li (宝力), and Bao Yuan (宝元).
Basic Profile
Bao Bao (Chinese: 宝宝, studbook 897) is a female giant panda born on August 23, 2013 at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C., United States. She is the daughter of Tian Tian (添添) and Mei Xiang (美香, #461). Her siblings include Tai Shan (泰山, #595), Bei Bei (贝贝, #978), and Xiao Qi Ji (小奇迹, #1235).
On December 1, 2013, the zoo held a 100-day naming ceremony formally naming her “Bao Bao” (宝宝, meaning “precious treasure”). First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama and China’s First Lady Peng Liyuan both sent congratulatory messages. She made her public debut on January 18, 2014, drawing large crowds who had followed her growth via the zoo’s Panda Cam.
Life at Smithsonian
In December 2014, Bao Bao touched a protective electric wire (hot wire) in the panda enclosure and was startled, retreating up a tree. Her mother Mei Xiang climbed up to join her, displaying natural maternal comforting behavior. The pair descended once Bao Bao felt safe. The incident drew international media attention.
In March 2015, Bao Bao was separated from her mother to begin independent living, a standard milestone for maturing giant pandas. She remained at the Smithsonian National Zoo for the next two years, becoming one of the zoo’s most popular residents.
Return to China
On February 21, 2017 (local time), Bao Bao departed the Smithsonian National Zoo aboard the “FedEx Panda Express” charter flight, returning to the Dujiangyan Base of the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas. She weighed 95 kg (209 lbs) at the time of her departure, up from 92 kg upon her arrival in China.
After completing quarantine, she made her public debut in China on March 24, 2017. Her new home was the former residence of her grandfather Pan Pan (盼盼) and was located next to her brother Tai Shan’s enclosure.
She celebrated her first birthday back in China on August 23, 2017 at the Dujiangyan Base. In 2018, she was relocated to the Wolong Shenshuping Base in Sichuan.
Offspring
Bao Bao has successfully mothered three cubs:
- Dun Dun (顿顿, also known as Lan Yun/兰韵), female, born July 29, 2020. She was sent to the Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna, Austria in April 2025.
- Bao Li (宝力), male, born August 4, 2021 (twin). He was sent to the Smithsonian National Zoo in October 2024.
- Bao Yuan (宝元), male, born August 4, 2021 (twin). He was transferred to Dujiangyan Panda Paradise in 2023.
Evidence
Life timeline
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2013 (3)
Knowledge graph
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Mother Half-siblings (grouped) Children
Bao Bao has
5 half-siblings.
The majority share the same mother, Yang Yang .
Gallery
Media gallery
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Images (1)
Connected archive
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Place journey
Current location
Wolong Shenshuping Panda Base
Wolong, China
Bao Bao is currently linked to Wolong Shenshuping Panda Base.
Mentioned in archive reading
culture
The Great Return: Why Overseas-Born Pandas Must Come Home
Every panda born outside China must return by age four — a clause that shapes the emotional landscape of international panda cooperation. From Tai Shan (2005) to Fu Bao (2024), this article traces the biological, legal, and emotional dimensions of the panda homecoming, examining what happens when an overseas-born panda lands in Chengdu and must learn to be a Chinese panda.
culture
Pan Pan's Dynasty: The Hero Father Behind 25% of All Captive Pandas
Studbook #001. 130+ descendants. 25% of the global captive population. Pan Pan was the most genetically prolific giant panda in history — rescued from the wild as a cub, he became the founding sire who rescued the captive breeding program from collapse. This is the story of the panda who became a dynasty, the genetic legacy that now defines a quarter of all captive pandas, and the complex management challenge his extraordinary reproductive success created.
culture
Behind Every Name: The Art and Meaning of Naming Giant Pandas
From 'Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan' (symbolizing reunion) to 'Fu Bao' (lucky treasure), every giant panda name carries layers of cultural meaning, political significance, and public sentiment. This article explores the naming traditions, the global naming contests, and how panda nicknames — like Hua Hua's 'Guo Lai' — have become a unique form of modern Chinese internet folk culture.
culture
Smithsonian's 50-Year Panda Story: From Ling-Ling to Xiao Qi Ji
From 1972, when Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing arrived as gifts from Mao Zedong's China, to 2023, when Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, and Xiao Qi Ji returned home, the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington D.C. hosted giant pandas continuously for half a century — the longest unbroken panda presence in the Western world. This article chronicles the science, the celebrity, and the emotional farewells of five decades of American panda diplomacy.
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Information on this page is compiled from conservation institutions, official panda records, media archives, and the wider PandaCommon research workflow.
Primary source types
- Conservation institution records
- Official panda databases
- Research publications and archive reporting
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