Ding Ding

Ding Ding (studbook number 1150) is a male giant panda born on August 1, 2016, at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan, China. His parents are Jin Ke and Ke Jiu, both resident giant pandas at the Chengdu Research Base. For the first year of his life, he resided at the base, where he received standard captive care, including nutritional monitoring and developmental assessments consistent with global best practices for giant panda cub rearing. On his first birthday, August 1, 2017, Ding Ding was transferred to Moscow Zoo as part of a long-term bilateral cooperative breeding and conservation agreement between Chinese wildlife management authorities and Russian zoological institutions.

Now a fully mature adult, Ding Ding exhibits typical species-specific behaviors in his Moscow Zoo habitat, most notably spending 10 to 12 hours each day foraging for bamboo, the primary dietary staple for wild and captive giant pandas. Animal care staff at Moscow Zoo conduct regular health checks and habitat enrichment activities to support his physical and psychological well-being, aligned with the joint conservation framework established by the two countries. He is housed in a custom-built enclosure designed to replicate key features of his native temperate forest habitat, with access to both indoor and outdoor spaces for climbing, resting, and exploration.

Ding Ding serves as a prominent cross-cultural and conservation ambassador, drawing millions of visitors to Moscow Zoo each year. His public presence supports targeted educational programming focused on giant panda ecology, the threats facing wild populations in their native range in central China, and the outcomes of China’s community-led habitat protection initiatives that contributed to the 2016 downlisting of the giant panda from Endangered to Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. As a participant in the global cooperative giant panda breeding program, he also plays a key role in maintaining the genetic diversity of the ex situ giant panda population, a core component of international efforts to ensure the long-term survival of the species.