Panda archive

Xiao Ya

小丫

Xiao Ya is a female giant panda born on 2014-01-01 at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Her studbook number is 939, and she is confirmed to be alive as of recent official records. This giant panda is one of many captive-bred individuals managed by China’s national giant panda conservation breeding network. She is the offspring of Pan Pan and Cheng Cheng. Both of her parents are registered giant pandas with well-documented lineages in the international studbook for the species. Her father Pan Pan was a prolific breeder in the captive giant panda population, contributing genetic diversity to the conservation program. Currently living at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, she participates in the base’s ex-situ conservation and public education programs. As a mature breeding-age female, she is also part of the base’s planned captive breeding efforts to maintain a genetically healthy and sustainable captive giant panda population. As a gentle, herbivorous giant panda, Xiao Ya draws consistent visitor interest, boosting public awareness of giant panda conservation globally. Her stable genetic lineage supports the long-term goal of maintaining a genetically diverse captive population, which contributes to species recovery for giant pandas, which were downgraded from Endangered to Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List in 2016.