Su Lin

Basic Profile

Su Lin (Chinese name: 苏琳, studbook number 001) is the name given to the first giant panda ever brought to the United States. This historic individual was a male cub captured in the wilds of Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, China in 1936.

Capture and Journey

In 1936, American explorer Ruth Harkness traveled to China, determined to bring a live giant panda back to the United States — a feat her late husband William Harkness had attempted but failed to achieve. With the help of Chinese-American guide Quentin Young (杨昆廷) and his brother, Harkness’s expedition reached the mountainous forests of Wenchuan. There, on an expedition in November 1936, they discovered a newborn panda cub in a hollow tree, abandoned by its mother.

The cub, estimated to be less than 10 days old and weighing only 2.5 pounds (1,134 grams), was named “Su Lin” after Quentin Young’s wife. Harkness falsely declared the cub as a “peculiar-shaped Pekingese dog” on her travel documents, bribing海关 officials for just $2 to smuggle the animal out of China. She departed Shanghai aboard the SS McKinley President and arrived in San Francisco on December 18, 1936.

Life in America

After quarantining in New York, Su Lin was sold to the Chicago Brookfield Zoo for $8,750 — a substantial sum that Harkness used to fund a return trip to China to find Su Lin a companion. The zoo exhibited Su Lin publicly, drawing over 40,000 visitors on opening day alone. Among the famous visitors was blind author Helen Keller, who came specifically to touch the panda.

Death and Aftermath

On April 1, 1938, Su Lin died at approximately 18 months of age. The cause was pneumonia, triggered by a stick lodged in her throat. A necropsy revealed that Su Lin was male — not female as Harkness had assumed. His body was preserved as a taxidermy mount and is now housed at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.

Meanwhile, Ruth Harkness had returned to China and acquired a second panda, also named “Mei Mei” (美美). When Mei Mei also died in 1942, autopsy similarly revealed it was male. Harkness later published a book about her adventures, “The Lady and the Panda,” and her pioneering expedition opened the door for Western zoos to acquire giant pandas for public exhibition.

Legacy

Su Lin (studbook 001) holds the unique distinction of being the first entry in the international giant panda studbook. The 2005 San Diego-born panda Su Lin (studbook 603) was named in her honor, connecting modern conservation efforts to this historic individual.