Xiang Xiang (#531)

Basic Profile

Xiang Xiang (Chinese: 祥祥, studbook number 531) was a male giant panda born on August 25, 2001 at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) in Wolong, Sichuan. He had a twin brother, Fu Fu (福福, sb532).

His mother was Quan Quan (泉泉/20号/龙古, sb414) — the famous “wild-born beauty” known as the most beautiful panda at Wolong. His father was Da Di (大地, sb394), a prolific sire and brother of San Diego’s Bai Yun.

Xiang Xiang was selected from hundreds of pandas for the historic rewilding experiment. Physically, he was described as robust, agile, and an excellent learner — the only panda in his cohort to never fall ill during captivity. At release, he weighed 80 kg, above average for a wild panda of his age.

Selection and Training

Why Xiang Xiang?

In 2003, CCRCGP launched the world’s first captive-to-wild rewilding program. Xiang Xiang was chosen because:

• He and his twin Fu Fu served as control subjects — Xiang Xiang in the wild, Fu Fu remaining in captivity as a benchmark
• His exceptional health record made him an ideal candidate
• As a male, he could potentially contribute genes to wild populations

His selection marked a historic turning point: China’s panda conservation strategy was shifting from “captive breeding for survival” to “rewilding for population recovery.”

The Training Protocol

From July 8, 2003 to April 2006, Xiang Xiang underwent phased rewilding training:

1. Phase I (July 2003 – Sep 2004): 27,000 m² semi-wild enclosure — learned basic foraging, navigation, and predator avoidance
2. Phase II (Sep 2004 – Feb 2006): 240,000 m² mountain enclosure — developed complex survival skills including territorial awareness, bamboo species selection, and den construction
3. Assessment (Feb 2006): Expert panel confirmed Xiang Xiang had achieved full wild-survival capability — foraging independently, recognizing threats, building natural dens, and maintaining appropriate body weight

Unlike the later “mother-rearing” method (used for Tao Tao, Zhang Xiang, etc.), Xiang Xiang was human-reared. Keepers taught him survival skills directly, and he never learned from a panda mother. This critical difference would prove fatal.

Release into the Wild

On April 28, 2006, at 10:00 AM, Xiang Xiang’s enclosure gate was opened at the Dengsheng release site in Wolong Nature Reserve. In front of dozens of scientists, officials, and journalists, he ran out without looking back, disappearing into the Wuyipeng forest area — a 36 km² tract of prime panda habitat.

He was fitted with a GPS tracking collar and radio transmitter. The release was declared a milestone: “China’s panda protection has entered a new phase — from captive breeding to wild release.”

Life in the Wild

For the first several months, Xiang Xiang appeared to adapt successfully:

• He established a territory, foraged independently, and showed normal wild panda behavior
• His weight remained stable
• Researchers began to believe the rewilding was succeeding

However, unlike wild-born pandas who learned combat and territorial skills from their mothers, Xiang Xiang had no experience fighting other pandas. The Wuyipeng area was home to a dense population of wild pandas — and territorial disputes were inevitable.

Death

On February 19, 2007, after 10 months in the wild, Xiang Xiang’s GPS collar transmitted a mortality signal. Search teams found his body at the base of a cliff in a rocky area.

Autopsy revealed: massive trauma consistent with an intra-species fight. Xiang Xiang had engaged in a territorial battle with wild male pandas, was driven off a cliff, and died from his injuries. He was just 5 years and 6 months old.

Legacy

Xiang Xiang’s death was a devastating but invaluable lesson. The post-mortem analysis identified three critical failures:

1. Human-rearing: Without mother-taught survival skills, he lacked the aggression and combat experience needed to compete with wild pandas
2. Release site selection: Wuyipeng had too many wild pandas — competition was too intense for a naive captive-born individual
3. Male bias: Males must fight for territory and mating rights; females face lower social barriers

These lessons reshaped the entire rewilding program:

• Mother-rearing method replaced human-rearing (Tao Tao, Zhang Xiang, Hua Yan, Zhang Meng)
• Release sites shifted to lower-density panda populations
• Female candidates were prioritized (Zhang Xiang became the first female release)
• The program’s survival rate improved from 0% (Xiang Xiang) to 81.8% (9 of 11 subsequent releases survived)

Xiang Xiang is remembered as the “rewilding pioneer” — a courageous panda whose sacrifice paved the way for all future releases.