Feng Yun

Feng Yun (studbook number 1390) is a female Qinling giant panda born on November 5, 2022, at the Fuping Wild Panda Habitat within the Qinling Giant Panda National Park in Shaanxi, China. She is the offspring of Guai Jiao and Qin Xin, two wild-born giant pandas native to the Qinling Mountains, a region that supports one of the most geographically and genetically isolated wild giant panda populations in the world. Born entirely in her natural wild habitat without human intervention during the birthing process, Feng Yun represents a key milestone for the stable reproduction of the local Qinling giant panda community.

Feng Yun continues to reside in the Fuping management zone of Qinling Giant Panda National Park, where she is part of the long-term wild population monitoring program administered by the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda. Unlike captive-born pandas that undergo pre-release training, she has spent her entire life navigating the natural bamboo forests, steep slopes, and seasonal climate shifts of the Qinling Mountains, developing the full suite of survival behaviors typical of wild giant pandas. She exhibits the distinct morphological traits of the Qinling giant panda subspecies, including a smaller skull, broader nasal bone, and lighter, more brown-tinged fur compared to giant panda populations native to Sichuan province.

Her inclusion in the long-term monitoring program provides researchers with consistent, unobtrusive data on wild giant panda cub development, maternal care patterns, habitat use across seasonal changes, and social interactions within the local population. As a descendant of two wild Qinling pandas with no recent captive ancestry, Feng Yun contributes critical genetic diversity to the isolated Qinling giant panda population, which is recognized as a separate subspecies and has an estimated wild population of fewer than 350 individuals. Data collected through her monitoring directly supports evidence-based conservation adjustments, including habitat corridor expansion and targeted protection of high-priority bamboo foraging zones, that benefit the broader Qinling giant panda community.