Xi Lun

Xi Lun (Chinese: 喜伦, studbook number 1090) is a female giant panda born on September 3, 2016 at Zoo Atlanta. She was one of two twin cubs born to the zoo’s long-term breeding pair that year, her mother being Lun Lun (studbook number 452) and father Yang Guang (studbook number 821). Yang Guang and Lun Lun were on a 20-year cooperative research loan from Chinese conservation authorities to the U.S. facility, and Xi Lun’s birth marked a notable success for the cross-border giant panda breeding partnership during the pair’s loan tenure.

In 2019, Xi Lun was repatriated to China alongside her twin brother Ya Lun, in accordance with the terms of the international loan agreement that requires all cubs born to pandas on overseas loan to return to their ancestral home once they reach appropriate age. Initial records previously noted a 2017 transfer date, but official confirmation verified the 2019 repatriation as the correct timeline for her permanent relocation to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan Province, where she currently resides.

Since her arrival at the Chengdu base, Xi Lun has been integrated into the facility’s core captive breeding and conservation program for the vulnerable giant panda species. She exhibits the species’ characteristic healthy, active behaviors, including regular foraging for bamboo and frequent climbing activity across her enclosure. As a genetically distinct individual born to a pair housed outside of China for multiple decades, she contributes valuable diversity to the global captive giant panda gene pool, reducing the risk of inbreeding and supporting the long-term viability of the captive population.

Xi Lun is also a popular draw for visitors to the Chengdu Research Base, serving as an informal ambassador for giant panda conservation efforts. Her public presence helps educate domestic and international tourists about the species’ ecological needs and the importance of cross-border collaborative conservation initiatives, building public support for both captive breeding programs and wild panda habitat protection efforts across China.