Panda archive

Shan Lan

山兰

Shan Lan is a female giant panda born on 2021-04-01 at the Foping National Nature Reserve. She is registered under studbook number 1210 in the global giant panda breeding and monitoring system maintained by the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda. As a naturally born wild individual, her birth was recorded during routine population surveys conducted by reserve management teams. She is the offspring of giant panda Pan Pan and giant panda Lan Lan, both wild residents of the Qinling Mountains giant panda population. The Qinling population is recognized as a distinct subspecies of giant panda, separated from the Sichuan population by geographic barriers. Genetic monitoring of her lineage helps researchers track genetic diversity within the wild population. Currently living at Foping National Nature Reserve in the Qinling Mountains of Shaanxi Province, China, she participates in long-term population monitoring programs run by the reserve and the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda. This program tracks the movement, feeding habits, and reproductive activity of wild giant pandas to inform ongoing conservation management. As a wild-born Qinling giant panda, Shan Lan displays typical giant panda foraging behavior, spending most of her active time feeding on native bamboo species. She is a representative of the recovering wild giant panda population, contributing to cultural public awareness of giant panda conservation success. Her presence in the intact Foping forest ecosystem highlights the ecological value of protected areas for vulnerable large mammal species.