Jin Yi

Jin Yi (Chinese name: 金意, studbook number 839) is a female giant panda born on August 6, 2011, at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda. Her father is Gu Gu, listed under studbook number 612, and her mother is Ting Ting, two individuals housed at the research center at the time of her birth. Her lineage is formally recorded in the global giant panda breeding registry, a centralized system used to track captive individuals to support evidence-based population management efforts across China. As part of the coordinated national captive breeding program, her genetic line contributes to the broader goal of maintaining sufficient genetic diversity within the captive giant panda population, a core priority for the species’ long-term conservation.

On her first birthday, August 6, 2012, Jin Yi was transferred to Dalian Forest Zoo in Liaoning Province, where she has resided ever since. She is a core participant in the zoo’s giant panda-focused public education programming, which includes regular visitor engagement activities designed to raise public awareness of threatened wildlife conservation and giant panda ecological needs. Like all members of her species, she displays characteristic feeding patterns, spending up to 14 hours each day consuming bamboo, a behavior that is frequently highlighted in educational sessions to illustrate the giant panda’s unique dietary adaptations and habitat requirements.

Jin Yi serves dual roles for both public engagement and applied conservation research. She is a popular cultural attraction for domestic and international visitors to Dalian Forest Zoo, helping to translate widespread public affection for giant pandas into broader understanding of the progress and ongoing challenges of giant panda conservation efforts. Long-term observation of her care, behavior, and health at the zoo also contributes to growing research on captive giant panda welfare, findings that are shared with breeding and management institutions across the country to inform standard practices for the species as a whole.