Guo Guo

Basic Profile

Guo Guo (Chinese: 帼帼, studbook number 439) was a female giant panda born on September 14, 1996 at the CCRCGP Hetaoping Base in Wolong, Sichuan.

Her mother was Jia Jia (佳佳, studbook 222) — the famous Hong Kong-donated panda — and her father was Xin Xing (新兴). Her siblings included Jia Lin, Yue Yue, Di Di, and Long Long.

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Life Journey

Early Years

In 2000, Guo Guo was loaned to Yangzhou Zoo for a brief exhibition, returning to Hetaoping the same year.

2008 Wenchuan Earthquake

When the 2008 Sichuan earthquake struck, Guo Guo was at the Wolong Hetaoping Base. The collapsing enclosure trapped her under rubble. Rescue teams麻醉 (anesthetized) her to safely extract her from the debris. Despite the trauma, she was pregnant.

On June 24, 2008, she was evacuated to the Ya’an Bifengxia Base. On July 6, 2008, she gave birth to twins — Ping Ping (平平, female, 170g) and An An (安安, male) — the first panda cubs born after the earthquake and a symbol of resilience.

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Offspring

Guo Guo gave birth to 9 cubs across multiple litters:

Year	Cubs	Notes
2005	Yao Yao (耀耀, ♀, #601) & Liang Liang (亮亮, ♂, #602)	Yao Yao died 2022 from lymphoma
2006	Mei An (美安, ♀, #653)	Died 2008 from pneumonia
2008	Ping Ping (平平, ♀, #704) & An An (安安, ♂, #705)	Earthquake twins; An An died 2011
2009	Yao Man (姚蔓, ♀, #759) & Yao Xin (姚欣, ♀, #760)
2014	Ya Ji (雅吉, ♂, #910)	First cub born globally in 2014
2016	Hua Sheng (花生, ♀)	First panda born in Shanghai; died 2016

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Death and Controversy

In 2016, Guo Guo was moved to Shanghai Wildlife Park to support the newly established Shanghai Panda Base. On July 9, 2016, she gave birth to Hua Sheng — the first panda ever born in Shanghai.

On December 19, 2016, Guo Guo developed fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. Despite intensive treatment, she died on December 26 from acute pancreatitis with multi-organ failure.

Her cub Hua Sheng fell ill on December 23 and died on December 31 from severe intestinal torsion causing大面积肠坏死.

Delayed Announcement

The deaths were not publicly announced until January 19, 2017 — over three weeks after Hua Sheng’s death. The delay sparked public outrage and media criticism. Experts questioned the care standards at Shanghai Wildlife Park and called for greater transparency in panda loan programs.

Guo Guo’s death, coming just months after the 2014 Zhengzhou Zoo controversy (Jin Yi), highlighted ongoing concerns about panda welfare at loan facilities.