Xing Bao

Xing Bao (Chinese name: 星宝, studbook number 1004) is a male giant panda born on August 30, 2013 at Zoo Aquarium de Madrid. His birth marked the third successful giant panda breeding event at the Madrid institution, part of a long-term collaborative conservation partnership between the zoo and the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. He is the offspring of male giant panda Bing Bing (studbook number 475) and female giant panda Hua Zuiba (studbook number 476), both of whom were originally transferred to Madrid from the Chengdu base as part of the cross-border species survival program.

Per the terms of the international giant panda loan agreement, Xing Bao was transferred to his parents’ originating institution, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan, China, on his first birthday, August 30, 2014. He has resided at the base in the decade since, participating in the facility’s formal captive giant panda management program. His daily routine follows a standardized care framework, including a diet of locally sourced fresh bamboo supplemented with specialized nutrient pellets, and routine veterinary health monitoring to support his long-term well-being.

Xing Bao is currently accessible for public viewing at the Chengdu base, where he forms a core part of the organization’s public education programming focused on giant panda habitat protection and endangered species conservation. As an individual born through international cross-institutional collaboration, his life history serves as a documented case study of the effectiveness of cooperative global conservation frameworks for vulnerable species. His cross-continental life experience has also been leveraged in public outreach materials to broaden global public understanding of the shared efforts required to protect and sustain giant panda populations both in captive care and wild habitats. He exhibits typical wild-type giant panda behavioral patterns, including devoting 10 to 16 hours per day to feeding, alongside extended periods of resting between foraging sessions.