Hua Yan

Basic Profile

Hua Yan (Chinese: 华妍, studbook number 888) is a female giant panda born on August 14, 2013 at the CCRCGP Hetaoping Base in Wolong.

Her mother is Ye Ye (晔晔), a captive-bred female, and her father is Wu Gang (武岗, studbook 502) — but through wild breeding, her genetic father was actually a wild male from the Qionglai Mountains whose semen was used. This wild heritage made her an ideal candidate for rewilding.

Wild Training

Hua Yan was raised from birth in semi-wild environments at Hetaoping and Tiantai Mountain. Under her mother Ye Ye’s guidance, she learned:

• Climbing trees for safety
• Foraging for different bamboo species
• Finding water sources
• Recognizing predators and companion species
• Building shelter

She consistently passed all evaluations for predator recognition, territory establishment, and food finding.

Release to the Wild

On October 20, 2016, Hua Yan (then weighing 80 kg, measuring 115 cm) and Zhang Meng (张梦) were simultaneously released into the Liziping National Nature Reserve in Shimian County, Sichuan. This was China’s first dual-female panda rewilding and the world’s first summer dual release.

Both pandas were fitted with GPS satellite tracking collars.

Remarkable Confirmation: Wild Breeding (2024)

In March to July 2024, patrol staff from the Shimian County management station captured trail camera footage of two pandas courting. DNA analysis of fecal samples confirmed:

• The female was Hua Yan
• The male was Tao Tao (淘淘), another rewilded panda
• Hormone analysis showed both were in estrus (stress hormone 57mg/g, progesterone 767mg/g)

This was the first time in China that visual evidence combined with DNA proof confirmed that rewilded pandas had integrated into the local population and were participating in natural breeding. For a rewilding program that began in earnest in the 2010s, this was the ultimate validation of the technique.

As of 2024, Hua Yan had survived in the wild for approximately 8 years, primarily active in the Māmā Dì, Māmā Dì Gōu, and Dà Lín Cháng areas of the reserve — proving that captive-born pandas can thrive in the wild and contribute to the gene pool of wild populations.