Chao Chao

Chao Chao (studbook number 1308) is a male giant panda born on July 15, 2022, at Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo in Jiangsu Province, China. His birth was the result of natural mating between his parents Lu Lu and Fu Ni, as part of coordinated regional captive breeding efforts for the species. He is officially registered in the global Chinese giant panda studbook managed by the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda. His lineage traces to two leading giant panda conservation institutions in Sichuan: his father Lu Lu was born in 2006 at Wolong National Nature Reserve, while his mother Fu Ni was born in 2010 at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Both Lu Lu and Fu Ni were transferred to Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo in 2019 as part of a collaborative breeding exchange program, and have resided at the facility since.

As of 2024, Chao Chao remains housed at Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo, which is a registered participant in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ giant panda conservation initiative. The zoo maintains a dedicated, species-appropriate enclosure for its giant panda population that replicates the temperate bamboo forest habitat wild giant pandas occupy naturally, supporting the expression of species-typical behaviors. As a juvenile panda, Chao Chao exhibits common age-appropriate behaviors, spending most of his active periods foraging on fresh bamboo provisioned by the zoo’s animal care team and exploring the elevated platforms and natural vegetation features of his enclosure.

Chao Chao serves as a core participant in the zoo’s giant panda public education programming, and is a popular draw for both domestic and international visitors to the facility. His regular public viewing hours and associated interpretive materials help raise widespread awareness of the threats facing wild giant panda populations, including habitat fragmentation and climate change, and the ongoing conservation efforts to support the species’ long-term survival. His birth also contributes to the genetic diversity of the global captive giant panda population, a key priority for the species’ ex situ conservation framework that aims to maintain a resilient, self-sustaining captive population as a safeguard against potential wild population declines.