Panda Archive

Shi Shi

石石

Shi Shi is a male giant panda born on January 1, 1980 in the wild of Sichuan Province, China. He was captured as a wild juvenile in 1980 and transferred to the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas, where he received captive management and veterinary care. His studbook number, a unique identifier for captive giant panda populations, is 396. He passed away in 2008 after 28 years in human care. He is the offspring of two unidentified wild giant pandas native to the Min Mountains, one of the major giant panda habitat ranges in central China. As a wild-born individual brought into captivity early in life, his genetic material was added to the early captive breeding registry managed by the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas. Currently living at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, he participates in long-term captive giant panda research and genetic management initiatives that laid early groundwork for modern giant panda conservation. As one of the early wild-born individuals integrated into the captive population, he contributed to foundational studies of giant panda biology and captive husbandry practices. As a large, docile male giant panda, he adapted readily to captive conditions, which helped researchers refine feeding and enclosure protocols for newly rescued wild pandas. He is featured in early population records from the China Conservation and Research Center, contributing to global understanding of wild giant panda demographics. His inclusion in early breeding programs helped expand the genetic diversity of the captive giant panda population, supporting ongoing efforts to maintain a healthy, resilient ex situ population.