Le Pao

Le Pao (Chinese name 乐宝, studbook number 969) is a male giant panda born on July 13, 2015 at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda. His lineage is formally recorded in the global giant panda studbook, with his father listed as studbook number 778 (Wu Gang) and his mother as studbook number 721 (Lin Bing). He spent the first year of his life at the breeding center in China, receiving standard veterinary care and behavioral monitoring consistent with protocols for captive giant panda cubs to support healthy physical and social development.

On his first birthday, July 13, 2016, Le Pao was transferred to Everland Resort’s Panda World in Yongin, South Korea, as part of a formal international giant panda cooperative breeding program overseen jointly by Chinese and South Korean wildlife conservation authorities. As of 2025, he remains a resident of the facility, where he participates in ongoing research focused on giant panda reproductive biology, dietary adaptability, and behavioral patterns in managed care settings. As a healthy adult male, he exhibits consistent species-typical behaviors, including spending 10 to 16 hours per day foraging on bamboo varieties sourced locally for his nutritional needs, and regular territorial scent-marking across his enclosure.

Le Pao is one of the first giant pandas to take up permanent residence in South Korea, a status that has made him a prominent public figure for species education in the region. His regular public viewing hours at Everland Resort draw hundreds of thousands of visitors annually, many of whom report their first exposure to giant panda conservation issues through observing him and learning about the species’ ecological needs at on-site educational displays. His participation in the cross-border breeding program also contributes to the broader global conservation efforts that led to the giant panda’s 2016 IUCN Red List reclassification from Endangered to Vulnerable, as shared research from international cooperative programs informs policy and care practices for the species across its range and in managed facilities worldwide.