Shi Shi

Basic Profile

Shi Shi (石石, meaning “Rock”) was a wild-born male giant panda taken from the mountains of Baoxing County, Sichuan Province. His exact birth year is unknown — assigned as approximately 1982 based on physical condition at capture. He was rescued in 1992 with multiple injuries sustained in the wild, likely from competing for mates, and underwent three surgeries to recover. After rehabilitation at the Wolong China Conservation and Research Center, he was sent to the Beijing Zoo before being selected for an international breeding loan.

Family

Shi Shi’s parents were two unnamed wild giant pandas from the Qionglai Mountain population. His only known mate was Bai Yun (白云, sb371), herself of wild-origin parents Pan Pan and Dong Dong. Shi Shi and Bai Yun were paired at the San Diego Zoo from 1996 to 2003. Though they never successfully mated naturally, they produced one offspring through artificial insemination:

• Hua Mei (华美, sb487, born 1999) — the first giant panda cub to survive in the United States

Life Journey

Rescue and Early Years (1992–1996)

Shi Shi was rescued from the wild near Baoxing County, Sichuan in 1992. He bore visible scars and injuries from intraspecies fighting. After treatment at the Wolong center and a brief stay at Beijing Zoo, he was identified as a candidate for the newly established China-US giant panda breeding program.

San Diego Zoo (1996–2003)

On September 10, 1996, Shi Shi arrived at the San Diego Zoo alongside Bai Yun as part of a 12-year cooperative research agreement between China and the United States. The pairing was intended to produce cubs through natural breeding, but Shi Shi — likely too old and physically limited by his prior injuries — showed no interest in mating with Bai Yun.

Keepers turned to artificial insemination. In the spring of 1999, Bai Yun was inseminated with Shi Shi’s sperm. On August 21, 1999, she gave birth to Hua Mei (whose name means “China-America”), the first giant panda cub to survive past infancy in the United States. Hua Mei’s birth was a global sensation and a major milestone for panda conservation, proving that captive breeding programs could succeed through assisted reproductive technology.

Shi Shi was eventually determined to be significantly older than originally assumed. In January 2003, he was returned to China and replaced at the San Diego Zoo by Gao Gao (高高), a younger wild-born male who successfully mated naturally with Bai Yun and fathered five more cubs.

Return to China and Later Years (2003–2008)

After his return from the United States, Shi Shi was sent to the Guangzhou Zoo, where he lived out his remaining years away from the breeding program. He died on July 5, 2008 at an estimated age of over 25 years old, a respectable lifespan for a wild-born male panda.

Significance

Shi Shi’s legacy lies in his genetic contribution to the captive population through Hua Mei, who later became a prolific breeder herself, producing six cubs — including Tuan Tuan (团团), the panda gifted to Taiwan in 2008. As a wild-origin individual, Shi Shi carried genetic diversity from the Qionglai Mountain population into a captive gene pool that was otherwise heavily shaped by a small number of founder lines. His case also demonstrated the importance of alternative reproductive techniques for animals unable to breed naturally, a methodology that continues to support panda conservation today.