Cao Cao

Basic Profile

Cao Cao (Chinese: 草草, studbook number 581) is a female giant panda born in the wild of Sichuan province around 2002. She was rescued from the wild in 2003 at approximately one year old and brought to the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP).

“草草” literally means “grass” — a simple name for a wild-born panda.

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Breeding Career

Cao Cao has produced 9 litters / 13 cubs since 2008, earning her the title “hero mother” of the rewilding program.

Litter 1: 2008

• Wu Yang (武阳, also known as An An 安安) — male
• One additional cub (twin, died young)

Litter 2: 2010

• Tao Tao (淘淘, sb777) — male, born August 3, 2010
  • First panda born in a rewilding enclosure
  • First successfully adapted rewilded captive-born panda (released Oct 11, 2012)
  • Survived 5+ years in Liziping Nature Reserve

Litter 3: 2013 (twins)

• Hua Hu (华虎) — male
• Hua Jiao (华姣, sb866) — female
  • Released into wild on November 19, 2015 (second successfully rewilded female)

Litter 4: 2016

• One cub (born in semi-wild enclosure)

Litter 5: 2017 (first wild-bred)

• One cub through wild breeding introduction (野外引种) — the first captive panda to successfully mate with a wild male and give birth

Litter 6: 2018 (twins, wild-bred) 🏆

• He He (和和, sb1142) — male, 215g
• Mei Mei (美美, sb1143) — female, 84g
• Guinness World Record: First captive-born panda twins through wild breeding to both survive
• Father: an unidentified wild male panda from the Wuyipeng area

Litter 7: 2019 (twins, wild-bred)

• Xing Ye (星野) — male
• Mu Ye (牧野) — male

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Wild Breeding Introduction (野外引种)

The Problem

By 2016, the captive panda population had reached over 500 individuals, but genetic diversity was declining due to inbreeding among the limited founder pool.

The Solution

In December 2016, CCRCGP launched the Wild Breeding Introduction Program (圈养大熊猫野外引种). Cao Cao was selected because:

• She had wild-born experience and could navigate natural terrain
• She was proven fertile with excellent maternal instincts
• She was calm and adaptable

2017: First Success

Cao Cao was released into the Wuyipeng area of Wolong Nature Reserve — the same forest where Xiang Xiang had died in 2007. She successfully mated with a wild male and returned to give birth — the first successful wild breeding by a captive panda in history.

2018: Twins 🏆

On March 18, 2018, Cao Cao was again released into Wuyipeng. Audio recording confirmed she mated with a wild male twice, lasting a total of 16 minutes and 18 seconds. She returned to base and on July 25, 2018, gave birth to He He and Mei Mei — the first surviving captive-born twin cubs conceived through natural mating with a wild panda.

The Guinness World Record was awarded in 2019 for “First set of twin pandas born to a captive mother and a wild father.”

2019: Third Year

She mated again in spring 2019 and gave birth to twin males Xing Ye and Mu Ye on August 20, 2019.

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Legacy

Cao Cao is one of the most scientifically significant pandas in history:

• Rewilding mother: Produced 2 rewilded offspring (Tao Tao, Hua Jiao)
• Wild breeding pioneer: Proved captive pandas can mate with wild pandas to refresh the gene pool
• Guinness record holder: First surviving wild-bred captive panda twins
• Genetic bridge: Her wild-bred offspring carry fresh genes from the wild population, avoiding inbreeding depression

Her work has been praised by the State Forestry Administration as “opening a new chapter” in panda conservation, with implications for other endangered species worldwide.