Jia Jia

Basic Profile

Jia Jia (Chinese: 嘉嘉), also known by her Chinese name Hu Bao (沪宝), is a female giant panda born on September 3, 2008, at the Ya’an Bifengxia Base of the China Conservation and Research Center. She holds the global studbook number 734. Her birth weight was 139.8 grams. Her father is Yuan Yuan (园园, studbook 488) and her mother is Zhu Yun (竹韵, studbook 549), one of the “Four Beauties of Bamboo.”

Her birth had an extraordinary backstory: Zhu Yun was pregnant at Wolong when the 2008 Sichuan earthquake struck. She was evacuated to the Ya’an Bifengxia Base, where Jia Jia was born — one of the “earthquake cubs” of 2008.

Her sister is Min Min (闽闽), and her brother is Jin Hu (金虎).

Selection for Singapore

In November 2009, China and Singapore signed a Giant Panda Conservation Research Cooperation Agreement to celebrate the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations. After careful selection, two pandas were chosen: Wu Jie (武杰) and Hu Bao (沪宝). Before departure, both pandas underwent two years of basic English command “listening training” at the Ya’an Bifengxia Base and completed pre-departure quarantine isolation.

Naming

Hu Bao (沪宝) was named by Shanghai citizens during a “Gratitude China” campaign in 2009, with “Hu” (沪) representing Shanghai. She had originally been considered for the 2010 Shanghai Expo, but her selection for the Singapore program took priority. In Singapore, she was renamed Jia Jia (嘉嘉) through a public naming competition.

Journey to Singapore

On September 5, 2012, a farewell ceremony was held at the Ya’an Bifengxia Base. The pandas were transported by large trucks to Chengdu Shuangliu Airport. On September 6, they boarded a Singapore Airlines Cargo Boeing 747-400 freighter and arrived in Singapore at 8:20 AM.

Singapore invested approximately 43 million RMB to build a 1,600-square-meter panda house at River Wonders (then River Safari), with temperatures maintained at 18-22°C and humidity at 50-60%.

Life in Singapore

Breeding Journey

Kai Kai and Jia Jia attempted natural mating and artificial insemination over seven breeding rounds from 2015 onward without success. The male Kai Kai became something of a running joke for his lack of success.

2021: The Miracle Cub

On March 11, 2021, the Panda Center and River Wonders conducted an online breeding planning meeting. On April 13, Jia Jia showed estrus behavior. After several failed natural mating attempts with Kai Kai, experts from the Panda Center guided the River Wonders team through an artificial insemination procedure on April 24.

On August 14, 2021, at 7:50 AM, Jia Jia gave birth to a cub weighing approximately 200 grams. The birth process was remarkable: the cub emerged head-first, vocalizing, and Jia Jia immediately performed a “sit-up” motion, curled up, and carefully gathered her newborn.

The cub, named Le Le (叻叻), was the first giant panda born in Singapore. He made his public debut on December 30, 2021. In accordance with the cooperation agreement, Le Le returned to China on January 16, 2024.

Extended Stay

Originally scheduled to return to China in 2022, Kai Kai and Jia Jia’s stay was extended through 2027 to allow for further breeding attempts. As of 2026, Jia Jia continues to reside at River Wonders in Singapore.

Public Impact

By 2023, approximately 8 million visitors from around the world had visited Jia Jia and her family. The Chinese Ambassador to Singapore praised Le Le’s contribution to biodiversity awareness.