Tian Tian

Basic Profile

Tian Tian (Chinese: 添添, studbook number 458) is a male giant panda born on August 27, 1997 at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) Hetaoping Base. His mother is Yong Ba (studbook 397), a wild-born female, and his father is Pan Pan (studbook 354), one of the most prolific breeding males in the captive panda population. Tian Tian spent 23 years at the Smithsonian National Zoo as a key participant in the Sino-US cooperative research program.

Family

Tian Tian’s father is Pan Pan (studbook 354) and his mother is Yong Ba (studbook 397).

Tian Tian has four surviving offspring with Mei Xiang (studbook 473):

• Tai Shan (泰山, studbook 585), male, born July 9, 2005.
• Bao Bao (宝宝, studbook 909), female, born August 23, 2013.
• Bei Bei (贝贝, studbook 1080), male, born August 22, 2015.
• Xiao Qi Ji (小奇迹, studbook 1318), male, born August 21, 2020.

Life Journey

Early Life in China

Tian Tian was born at the Hetaoping Base of CCRCGP in Sichuan Province. He was selected alongside Mei Xiang for the Sino-US cooperative breeding program.

Move to the United States

On December 6, 2000, Tian Tian and Mei Xiang arrived at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Tian Tian formally met the American public on January 10, 2001. The pair lived under a series of cooperative agreements that were renewed in 2010, 2015, and 2020.

Breeding Success

Tian Tian fathered his first cub Tai Shan in 2005 through natural mating. He subsequently fathered Bao Bao (2013), Bei Bei (2015), and Xiao Qi Ji (2020), the latter using frozen semen collected in 2016.

Return to China

On November 9, 2023, Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, and Xiao Qi Ji returned to China. After arrival at Chengdu, the family was transported to the CCRCGP Wolong Shenshuping Base for quarantine. Tian Tian now resides in the senior panda facility.