Xue Xue

Basic Profile

Xue Xue (Chinese: 雪雪, “Snow Snow”, studbook number 850) is a female giant panda born on August 15, 2012 at the Wolong Hetaoping Wild Training Base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP). She weighed 117 grams at birth.

Her mother is Si Xue (思雪, sb625), a wild-born panda with strong maternal instincts and a vigilant temperament. Her father is Lu Lu (芦芦, sb503), a wild-born male from Lushan with valuable wild genetics. She was described as having a round, gentle face and being somewhat dependent on her mother.

Wild Training

Xue Xue participated in the second-phase rewilding program (二期野化培训项目) alongside Xin Yuan (新媛). She was raised entirely by her mother Si Xue in a large semi-wild enclosure at Hetaoping, learning essential survival skills:

• Foraging for wild bamboo
• Finding natural water sources
• Building dens
• Recognizing and avoiding predators
• Navigating complex terrain

On September 3, 2013, a panel of experts evaluated both Xue Xue and Xin Yuan, concluding both pandas had developed adequate survival skills for wild release.

Release into the Wild

On October 10, 2014, Xue Xue was successfully recaptured for pre-release health checks. She weighed 53.4 kg with all physiological indicators normal.

On October 14, 2014, Xue Xue was released into the Liziping Nature Reserve in Shimian County, Ya’an, Sichuan. The ceremony was led by the State Forestry Administration and Sichuan Provincial Government, with officials including Vice Administrator Chen Fengxue and Ya’an Party Secretary Ye Zhuang in attendance. She was the fourth captive-born giant panda released to the wild, following Xiang Xiang (祥祥), Tao Tao (淘淘), and Zhang Xiang (张想).

Death and Lessons Learned

Tragically, on November 23, 2014 — just 42 days after release — Xue Xue was found dead in the Dahongshan area of Liziping Nature Reserve. Post-mortem analysis suggested she died from a pathogenic bacterial infection (条件性致病菌感染), though the exact cause required further investigation.

Her death was a sobering setback for the rewilding program. Unlike Xiang Xiang who died from fighting with wild pandas, Xue Xue’s case highlighted an unexpected threat: disease susceptibility in captive-born pandas released into the wild. The captive environment may not adequately expose pandas to the full spectrum of wild pathogens, leaving their immune systems unprepared.

Legacy

Xue Xue’s brief time in the wild — only 42 days — provided critical data on post-release disease risks. The rewilding program incorporated these lessons into later releases:

1. Enhanced pre-release health screening for latent infections
2. Gradual exposure to natural pathogens during training
3. Improved post-release monitoring protocols

Despite the tragedy, the program continued and evolved, with Hua Yan (华妍, sb888, released 2015) and Zhang Meng (张梦, sb916, released 2016) building on these hard-earned lessons.

Xue Xue’s mother Si Xue continues to live at the Shanghai Wild Animal Park, and her siblings include Ying Xue (映雪) and Xue Bao (雪宝).