Fu Bao

Basic Profile

Fu Bao (Chinese: 福豹, nicknamed Xiao Bao Zi/小豹子 — “Little Leopard”), studbook number 887, is a male giant panda born on August 14, 2013 at Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna, Austria. He is the third cub of Yang Yang (阳阳) and Long Hui (龙徽, studbook 526).

Siblings

Fu Bao’s siblings include Fu Long (福龙, studbook 685), Fu Hu (福虎), and the twin pair Fu Feng (福凤) and Fu Ban (福伴) — all born at Schönbrunn through natural mating.

The Language Barrier (2015)

Fu Bao returned to China on November 7, 2015, arriving at the Dujiangyan Base after a 26-hour journey. A specialized care team accompanied him, carrying 20 kg of his preferred bamboo.

He was terrified. He refused to leave his transport crate. Every sound startled him. Every stranger made him retreat. And when keepers spoke to him, he simply stared — he couldn’t understand Sichuan dialect.

The keeper assigned to him was Xu Yalin (徐亚琳), an experienced caretaker who had accompanied pandas to Hangzhou, Yantai, and other cities. She began a daily routine: speaking to him in slow, gentle Sichuanese, offering treats, and waiting for him to approach. She made enrichment toys — puzzle feeders, tire bridges, balloons — to build his confidence.

It took weeks, but gradually, Fu Bao began to respond. He learned the local “language.” He started playing. He became, in Xu’s words, “a mischievous little boy.”

Life in China

By 2018, Fu Bao weighed 118 kg and had a round face with a short nose — “very handsome,” according to his keepers.

Presidential Visit

On April 12, 2018, Fu Bao received distinguished visitors: Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who visited the Dujiangyan Base specifically to see him during a state visit to China.

Nanjing (2019–present)

On August 28, 2019, Fu Bao was transferred to the Nanjing Tangshan Ziqinghu Wildlife World, where he continues to reside. He is described as a quiet, introspective panda who enjoys climbing trees and spending time alone — though he has become far more confident than the frightened cub who arrived from Austria in 2015.