Yuan Bao

Basic Profile

Yuan Bao (Chinese: 圆宝, “Round Baby”, studbook number 1265) is a female giant panda born on June 28, 2020 at Taipei Zoo in Taiwan. She is the second cub of Tuan Tuan (团团, sb588) and Yuan Yuan (圆圆, sb587) — the pair of pandas gifted by China to Taiwan in 2008 as a goodwill gesture.

She is the younger sister of Yuan Zai (圆仔, sb987), Taiwan’s first-born panda.

Life Journey

Birth (2020)

Yuan Bao was conceived through artificial insemination on February 26-27, 2020. After a 5-hour labor, she was born at 1:53 PM on June 28, 2020, weighing 186 grams. A minor back injury was noted at birth, which was successfully treated by the zoo’s veterinary team.

Initially, keepers hoped Yuan Yuan would care for the cub herself, but due to the mother’s exhaustion and the cub’s injury, they opted for hand-rearing with supplemental feeding of Yuan Yuan’s colostrum.

Naming

She was given the nickname Jou Jou (柔柔, “Gentle”) because of her calm and gentle temperament compared to the more active Yuan Zai. On August 30, 2020, the official name Yuan Bao (圆宝) was announced following a public naming campaign.

Public Debut

Yuan Bao made her media debut on December 28, 2020, at six months old, climbing on a wooden play structure. She was described as gentle and chubby, with a calm disposition. She was unveiled alongside her mother Yuan Yuan to some 150 reporters.

Current Status

Yuan Bao lives at Taipei Zoo with her parents Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, and her older sister Yuan Zai. As the second cub born to the gift pandas, she (like Yuan Zai) does not need to be returned to China, since her parents were a permanent gift rather than a conservation loan.