Xin Ni'er

Basic Profile

Xin Ni’er (Chinese: 新妮儿, originally named Xiang Yi/湘宜), studbook number 692, was a female giant panda born on September 28, 2007 at the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas (CCRCGP) Hetaoping Base. Her mother was You You (优优, studbook 474).

Her siblings included Qian Qian (芊芊), Duo Duo (朵朵), Xiang Lu (香芦), Zhi Chun (知春, studbook 800), Bing Hua (冰华, studbook 929), Yue Yue (月月), and Ban Ban (半半).

Offspring

Xin Ni’er’s most famous daughter is Hua Ni (华妮, studbook 869), who was renamed Ai Bao (愛宝) after moving to Everland Resort in South Korea in 2016. Ai Bao became the mother of Fu Bao, Rui Bao, and Hui Bao — Korea’s first panda cubs.

In 2015, Xin Ni’er gave birth to twin sons fathered by Jin Ke (津柯):

• Hua Bao (华宝, studbook 949), also known as Xiao Xiao Pang — at Baoding Aibao Wildlife World
• Xin Bao (新宝, studbook 950), also known as Xiao Xiao Ye — at Baoding Aibao Wildlife World

Death During Wild Training

In 2015, Xin Ni’er was selected for the wild training program. On February 3, 2016, she began vomiting. A CT scan diagnosed duodenal obstruction — a blockage in her small intestine with a high mortality rate. After ten days of intensive care, she appeared to recover, passing the obstruction and eating again.

On February 23, she relapsed. Surgery was performed on February 26, but she died on the operating table.

The World’s First Plastinated Panda

Xin Ni’er’s body was preserved using a technique called 生物塑化 (bio-plastination) — replacing the water and fat in her tissues with polymer compounds. The process, led by Professor Sui Hongjin’s team, took one year.

On April 25, 2018, Xin Ni’er was exhibited at Chengdu Tianfu Square as four separate specimens: skin, muscles, skeleton, and internal organs. The plastination preserves her body in near-original condition for thousands of years, serving as a veterinary teaching tool and public education exhibit.