Cheng Lang

Cheng Lang (studbook number 1176) is a female giant panda born on June 11, 2019, at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Her birth was a recorded outcome of the base’s formal captive breeding initiative, which is designed to support the long-term viability of the species, currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. She is the offspring of male giant panda Cheng Ba (studbook number 649) and female giant panda Cheng Cheng (studbook number 522), both of whom are permanent captive residents of the Chengdu Research Base. Her lineage is tracked as part of the base’s managed breeding network, a system established to maintain genetic diversity across the global captive giant panda population and reduce risks associated with inbreeding.

Since her birth, Cheng Lang has remained in residence at the Chengdu Research Base, where she is included in the facility’s dual programs of conservation research and public education. Base research staff conduct regular, non-invasive monitoring of her feeding habits, social interactions with other pandas, physical development, and overall health, with the collected data contributing to a growing body of scientific knowledge about giant panda physiology and behavior in captive settings. As with other pandas housed at the base, her care follows standardized protocols developed in line with national and international species conservation guidelines.

Cheng Lang has become a well-recognized individual among visitors to the Chengdu Research Base, often observed engaging in species-typical behaviors including foraging for bamboo and climbing low structural elements and tree branches in her enclosure. Her public visibility supports the base’s outreach efforts to educate domestic and international visitors about the threats facing wild giant panda populations, as well as the ongoing conservation strategies designed to protect the species. Along with other individuals in the captive breeding program, Cheng Lang’s successful development contributes to the broader progress of giant panda conservation efforts, which have already contributed to the species’ 2016 reclassification from Endangered to Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.