Hai Yun

Hai Yun (Chinese name: 海云) is a male giant panda born on October 25, 2021 at Hainan Tropical Wildlife Park and Botanical Garden in Haikou, Hainan Province, China. He is recorded under studbook number 1386 in the official Chinese giant panda studbook, and as of 2024, he remains in residence at the same facility where he was born. His early development aligned with standard species benchmarks, and he completed weaning from his mother at the age typical for captive giant pandas. His parents are Gong Gong and Ya Ya, both captive-bred giant pandas housed long-term at the Hainan facility, and both individuals have been part of China’s national giant panda conservation management program for their entire lives under human care.

As a young adult giant panda, Hai Yun exhibits the full range of expected species behaviors, including daily foraging sessions focused on bamboo, regular climbing of low tree branches in his enclosure, and extended rest periods throughout the day. He is part of collaborative public education and captive breeding initiatives run jointly by Hainan Tropical Wildlife Park and Botanical Garden and the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda. His presence at the southern China facility draws consistent visitor traffic, with members of the public traveling to the park to observe his daily activity cycles and learn about giant panda ecology.

Hai Yun holds notable significance for both regional conservation outreach and the broader captive giant panda population. He is one of a small number of giant pandas permanently housed in southern China, allowing residents of Hainan and surrounding southern provinces to access in-person educational programming about giant panda conservation that would otherwise require travel to northern or central panda breeding facilities. His inclusion in the national captive breeding program also contributes to the genetic diversity of the managed giant panda population, supporting the long-term resilience of the species under human care as part of coordinated conservation efforts.