Chao Chao

Chao Chao is a male giant panda born on 2022-07-15 at Nanjing Zoo. His studbook number is 1308, and he is officially registered in the global Chinese giant panda studbook managed by the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda. He was born via natural mating as part of coordinated captive breeding efforts for the species. He is the offspring of Lu Lu and Fu Ni, both captive-bred giant pandas housed at Nanjing Zoo. Lu Lu was born in 2006 at the Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan, while Fu Ni was born in 2010 at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Both were transferred to Nanjing Zoo in 2019 as part of a regional captive breeding program. Currently living at Nanjing Zoo, he participates in public education programming for giant panda conservation. Nanjing Zoo, located in Jiangsu Province, China, is a registered participant in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ giant panda conservation initiative. The facility maintains a dedicated enclosure that replicates the bamboo forest habitat wild giant pandas naturally occupy. As a young giant panda, Chao Chao displays typical foraging and climbing behaviors, spending most of his active periods feeding on bamboo and exploring his enclosure. He is a popular attraction for domestic and international visitors to Nanjing Zoo, helping raise public awareness of giant panda conservation. His birth contributes to the genetic diversity of the global captive giant panda population, which supports long-term species survival efforts.