Yuan Zai

Basic Profile

Yuan Zai (Chinese: 圆仔) is a female giant panda born on July 6, 2013 at Taipei Zoo (台北市立木栅动物园) — the first giant panda ever born in Taiwan. She is the daughter of Tuan Tuan (团团, studbook 588) and Yuan Yuan (圆圆, studbook 587), the pair gifted to Taiwan by mainland China in 2008. Conceived through artificial insemination, her birth was a landmark achievement in cross-strait conservation cooperation.

Birth and Early Care

Yuan Zai was born at 8:46 PM on July 6, 2013, weighing 129 grams. Shortly after birth, keepers discovered a wound in her groin area (鼠蹊部). Because of this injury, she was temporarily removed from her mother for hand-rearing — a decision that required round-the-clock care from Taipei Zoo’s veterinary team, with mainland Chinese experts traveling to Taiwan to assist.

To keep mother Yuan Yuan in a maternal state during the separation, the zoo created a plush doll resembling Yuan Zai and coated it with the cub’s feces so Yuan Yuan would recognize the scent. After approximately one month, when Yuan Zai’s wound had healed, the zoo orchestrated a carefully managed reunion. The strategy worked: Yuan Yuan accepted her cub, and Yuan Zai opened her eyes for the first time to see her mother.

Growing Up in the Spotlight

From the day she was born, Taipei Zoo posted daily video updates of Yuan Zai’s growth on social media — a practice that built an enormous following. Fans watched her learn to crawl, climb, and explore. Her round face, short nose, and fluffy white fur earned her descriptions like “a walking cartoon character.”

Yuan Zai’s public debut on January 6, 2014 drew massive crowds. Visitors lined up for hours in the early morning cold for a glimpse of Taiwan’s first homegrown panda. The panda craze drove merchandise sales exceeding 5 billion New Taiwan Dollars, with over 30 licensed products ranging from plush toys to stationery.

Personality and Habits

Yuan Zai is known for her energetic and curious personality. She loves climbing structures and mastering new enrichment toys — keepers noted she could figure out any puzzle after just a few attempts. She is a fast eater, especially when it comes to wowotou (panda cakes) and apples, though she shows less enthusiasm for bamboo leaves compared to other pandas.

She earned the nickname “little princess” and developed distinctive behaviors: she loves destroying enrichment items, play-fighting with branches, and enjoys the fruit of the camphor tree (茄苳树果实) — a delicacy her parents ignore, leaving her to enjoy in peace.

Annual Celebrations

Taipei Zoo holds elaborate birthday celebrations for Yuan Zai each year:

• 10th birthday (2023): A special Taipei 101-shaped cake made from pineapple, carrots, and kiwi. That year coincided with a pseudopregnancy, so Yuan Zai explored her cake in a relaxed, lazy state.
• The celebrations draw thousands of fans and receive extensive media coverage across Taiwan.

Family

Yuan Zai lives at Taipei Zoo with her mother Yuan Yuan and her younger sister Yuan Bao (圆宝), born June 28, 2020, also through artificial insemination. Her father Tuan Tuan passed away on November 19, 2022 from a brain tumor (原发性脑瘤), diagnosed after repeated seizures. His death was deeply mourned by the Taiwanese public.

As of 2026, Yuan Zai is 13 years old and in good health. Cross-strait experts continue to assess her breeding potential as part of ongoing conservation cooperation between the mainland China and Taiwan.