Bing Li

Bing Li (Chinese name 冰俐, studbook number 560) is a female giant panda born on September 21, 1999, at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan, China. She has resided in managed care at the Chengdu Research Base for her entire life, with no transfers to external facilities recorded to date. Her lineage traces to two prominent members of the base’s breeding program: sire Pan Pan (studbook number 393) and dam Ya Ya (studbook number 397), both long-term residents of the facility that contributed to foundational ex-situ giant panda conservation efforts in the late 20th century.

As a geriatric adult panda, Bing Li receives species-specific specialized care from the Chengdu Research Base’s veterinary and animal welfare teams, including tailored nutrition, regular health screenings, and habitat adjustments to support age-related needs. She continues to participate in the base’s core public education initiatives, with her on-exhibit habitat accessible to visitors. Her daily behavior aligns with standard giant panda species traits, including 10 to 16 hours per day dedicated to bamboo foraging, followed by extended periods of resting and occasional exploratory activity within her enclosure.

Bing Li holds both practical and symbolic significance for global giant panda conservation work. Her birth in 1999 marked an early success for the Chengdu Research Base’s standardized captive breeding protocols, which were refined throughout the 1990s to improve cub survival rates. As of 2024, she remains a visible representative of the long-term impact of coordinated ex-situ conservation programs, which have supported the 2016 downlisting of the giant panda from Endangered to Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and ongoing efforts to boost wild population resilience through targeted research and reintroduction programs. She is consistently ranked among the most popular resident pandas for domestic and international visitors to the Chengdu Research Base, serving as an accessible ambassador for broader public education around habitat protection and endangered species conservation.