Bao Di

Bao Di (Chinese: 宝弟) is a male giant panda born on August 8, 2019, at Pairi Daiza zoo in Belgium, with an official international giant panda studbook number of 1186. He is among the small number of giant pandas successfully born in captive facilities outside of China, part of a long-term collaborative conservation agreement between Pairi Daiza and the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda. His parents, Xing Hui (studbook number 710) and Hao Hao (studbook number 735), are both on long-term loan to the Belgian zoo from the Chinese conservation program, having been selected for the global breeding initiative for their strong genetic diversity within the captive panda population.

Bao Di has resided at Pairi Daiza continuously since his birth, and is an active participant in the coordinated global captive breeding program for giant pandas administered by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The program’s core mandate is to preserve a genetically robust, self-sustaining captive population of the species, which serves as a critical buffer against population decline in the wild and supports future reintroduction efforts where suitable habitat is available. As a young male in good health, he is expected to contribute to future breeding efforts as he reaches sexual maturity, helping to maintain the genetic diversity of the global captive population.

His public presence at Pairi Daiza has made him a well-loved figure among zoo visitors, serving as an informal cultural and conservation ambassador for his species. He exhibits all characteristic giant panda behaviors for his age, including spending several hours each day foraging on fresh bamboo, engaging in playful climbing and exploratory activity, and taking extended rest periods throughout the day. Educational materials installed around his habitat at the zoo connect his care and status to broader conservation work, raising public awareness about the threats to wild giant panda populations and the importance of protecting native bamboo forest ecosystems in the Qinling, Minshan, and Qionglai mountain ranges of central China.