Ying Xue

Basic Profile

Ying Xue (Chinese: 映雪, studbook number 955) is a female giant panda born on July 12, 2015 at the CCRCGP Hetaoping Base in Wolong, Sichuan.

Her mother is Si Xue (思雪, studbook 625) and her father is Bai Yang (白杨) — a male with wild bloodlines, making Ying Xue genetically well-suited for rewilding. Her siblings include Xue Xue (雪雪) and Xue Bao (雪宝).

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Wild Training

Ying Xue was selected for the rewilding program from birth and underwent a rigorous two-stage training process under her mother’s guidance:

Stage 1: Basic Skills (Hetaoping)

In the first stage, Ying Xue learned fundamental survival skills — walking independently, climbing trees, and exploring her environment under her mother’s watchful eye.

Stage 2: Advanced Training (Tiantai Mountain, 2500-2800m)

At around 6 months old, Ying Xue and her mother were transferred to a 300,000-square-meter wild training enclosure at high altitude. Here, she mastered:

• Foraging: Identifying and consuming wild bamboo species
• Water sourcing: Finding natural water sources
• Predator recognition: Showing innate fear responses to the feces of black bears and leopards
• Shelter and avoidance: Building resting sites and躲避 threats

By the end of training, she weighed 50 kg and demonstrated strong survival instincts. In May 2017, she was separated from her mother to begin independent living. Expert assessment confirmed she met all criteria for wild release.

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Release to the Wild

On November 23, 2017, Ying Xue (then weighing 59 kg, body length 89 cm) and male panda Ba Xi (八喜) were simultaneously released into the Liziping National Nature Reserve in Shimian County, Sichuan. This was China’s second dual-panda rewilding, following Hua Yan and Zhang Meng in 2016.

The release ceremony was co-hosted by the National Forestry Administration and the Sichuan Provincial Government. Both pandas were fitted with GPS satellite tracking collars for post-release monitoring.

Post-Release Survival

In April 2018, park rangers detected a wild panda signal in the Meng Huo City Meadow area of Liziping. Radio tracking confirmed it was Ying Xue — she had traveled a straight-line distance of over 10 kilometers from her release point. Analysis of her feeding traces and feces indicated normal digestion and good health. She had successfully adapted to wild conditions.

Ying Xue’s survival — alongside Ba Xi — marked an important milestone for the rewilding program, proving that captive-born pandas could not only survive but thrive when released in suitable habitat. She was one of the first cohort of rewilded pandas to be confirmed alive post-release through radio tracking.

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Personality

Ying Xue is described as highly alert and wary of humans (警惕性高). She does not approach people and will rapidly flee when approached. She spends much of her daytime resting in trees — a natural wild panda behavior. This innate caution has helped her survive in the wild.