Ya Jun

Basic Profile

Ya Jun (Chinese: 雅郡, nicknamed Xiao Yao Er/小幺儿 and Xiao Ni Hou/小泥猴), studbook number 984, is a female giant panda born on September 6, 2015 at the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas (CCRCGP) Ya’an Bifengxia Base. Her mother is Jun Zhu (郡主) and her father is Jin Ke (津柯, studbook 743).

She shares her birthday with her mother. Her siblings include Yang Hua (阳花), Meng Meng (梦梦), Zhi Zhi (志志), and Xin Bao (鑫宝) — who traveled to the San Diego Zoo in 2024.

The Air Sitter

Ya Jun is famous for her “air sitting” (空气坐) eating posture — she perches on impossibly thin branches, balancing with apparent effortlessness while calmly eating bamboo. She appears to be sitting on nothing. Her sister A Jie (阿杰) at the same zoo adopted this posture after watching Ya Jun.

Little Mud Monkey

As a cub, Ya Jun loved rolling in mud until her white fur was completely brown, earning her the nickname “Little Mud Monkey.” She also has a habit of climbing dangerously high trees — she once fell from 10+ meters but was miraculously unharmed.

Life Journey

On April 19, 2018, Ya Jun and her companion A Jie (阿杰) moved to Ningbo Youngor Zoo (now Ningbo Wildlife Park). Their joint birthday celebrations have become annual events at the zoo.