Xin Yuan

Basic Profile

Xin Yuan (Chinese: 新媛, studbook number 843) was a female giant panda born on July 28, 2012 at the Ya’an Bifengxia Base of the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas.

Her mother was Long Xin (龙欣, studbook 516) — the “Genius Panda Mother” famous for rearing 13 cubs with exceptional skill. Her father was Yuan Yuan (园园, studbook 488). Her twin brother was Yuan Xin (园欣, also known as Le Bao, studbook 841), who would go on to become the father of Fu Bao (福宝) at Everland, Korea.

Personality

Xin Yuan was described as lively and independent (活泼独立), with a high level of alertness. She frequently ventured deep into the forest alone, covering a large activity range — traits that made her an excellent candidate for wild release.

Wild Training

Xin Yuan was selected for the center’s wild training program at the Hetaoping Base. For two years, she underwent mother-led training alongside her mother Long Xin. The training covered:

• Foraging: Identifying and consuming wild bamboo species
• Predator avoidance: Recognizing and躲避 natural enemies
• Shelter building: Constructing dens and finding sleeping sites
• Territory navigation: Moving confidently through forest terrain

By November 2014, the training team had assessed her as fully prepared for release. She was scheduled to be rewilded in the Liziping National Nature Reserve in December 2014 — the same reserve where Hua Yan and Zhang Meng would later be released.

Death

Disappearance

On November 18, 2014, the monitoring team noticed that Xin Yuan had not been seen, though her mother Long Xin was present. On November 19, a search of the training enclosure perimeter and radio tracking ruled out escape.

Discovery

On November 20, the team entered the training enclosure and found Xin Yuan’s body at 1:20 PM. Her body showed mild rigor mortis, with clean,光滑 fur and no external injuries.

Autopsy

The necropsy revealed:

• Intestinal roundworms (蛔虫) found in her digestive tract
• Tissue samples sent to the Military Veterinary Research Institute tested positive for Enterobacter arkhensis and E. coli, both capable of causing death in mice
• No common panda viruses were detected

The combined diagnosis: respiratory infection caused by pathogenic bacteria, leading to respiratory failure and kidney failure.

Aftermath

Following Xin Yuan’s death, the center immediately quarantined all pandas at the Hetaoping wild training base, conducted disease tracing, and enhanced disinfection protocols. The incident highlighted the vulnerability of even well-trained pandas to opportunistic infections during the critical rewilding phase.

Her brother Yuan Xin (Le Bao) traveled to Korea in 2016, where he fathered Fu Bao — a stark contrast of fates between the twin siblings: one lost to a training accident, the other a beloved star of Korean panda conservation.