Hua Jiao

Basic Profile

Hua Jiao (Chinese: 华姣, studbook number 866) is a female giant panda born on July 6, 2013 at 8:15 AM at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) Wolong Hetaoping Rewilding Training Base.

Her mother is Cao Cao (草草, sb581) — the legendary rewilding mother and wild breeding pioneer. Her father is Bai Yang (白杨) or possibly Dai Li (戴丽) — both are wild-born males, and paternity is uncertain as Cao Cao had access to both during breeding.

She had a twin brother, Hua Hu (华虎), who was not selected for rewilding training.

Training

Like her brother Tao Tao, Hua Jiao was raised by Cao Cao in the mother-rearing rewilding method:

1. Phase I (Birth – Apr 2015): Born and raised in the first-stage semi-wild enclosure at Hetaoping, learning basic survival skills from Cao Cao
2. Phase II (Apr – Nov 2015): Transferred with Cao Cao to the Tiantai Mountain (天台山) rewilding enclosure on April 21, 2015 — a 240,000 m² advanced training area at higher elevation

In September 2015, an expert panel assessed Hua Jiao and confirmed she had developed:

• Wild-type foraging behavior and bamboo species selection
• Appropriate spatial use patterns
• Predator recognition and avoidance
• Independence from human contact

Release

On November 19, 2015, Hua Jiao was released into the Liziping National Nature Reserve in Shimian County, Ya’an — the same site where Tao Tao and Zhang Xiang had been released.

She was transported from Wolong to the release site and walked out of her transport cage at the Mama Di (麻麻地) release point. She disappeared into the bamboo forest within 15 seconds.

Hua Jiao was the fifth captive-born panda released into the wild, and the second female successfully rewilded (after Zhang Xiang).

Post-Release

GPS tracking data from her collar showed that Hua Jiao:

• Stayed within a stable home range near the release point
• Foraged on native bamboo species
• Showed appropriate avoidance of humans
• Was in good health as of mid-2016 monitoring reports

Her continued survival marked a significant milestone for the rewilding program, demonstrating that the mother-rearing method could produce consistently successful results across multiple individuals.

Significance

Hua Jiao’s successful release was part of the second generation of rewilded pandas:

• 2012: Tao Tao (male) — first success, mother-reared
• 2013: Zhang Xiang (female) — first female success, mother-reared
• 2014: Xue Xue (female) — died one month post-release
• 2014: Xin Yuan (female) — died during training
• 2015: Hua Jiao (female) — second female success, mother-reared

Together with her brother Tao Tao and half-sister Zhang Xiang, Hua Jiao helped validate the mother-rearing approach and expand the rewilding program’s scope to include multiple female candidates.