Zhang Meng

Basic Profile

Zhang Meng (Chinese: 张梦), studbook number 916, is a female giant panda born on July 7, 2014 at the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas (CCRCGP) Ya’an Bifengxia Base, raised in a semi-wild environment from birth. Her mother is Zhang Ka (张卡) — a wild panda — and her father is Bai Yang (白杨).

Successful Rewilding

Training

Zhang Meng underwent two phases of wild training at the Wolong Hetaoping and Tiantai Mountain bases, learning foraging, water-finding, and predator avoidance from her mother.

Release (October 2016)

On October 20, 2016, Zhang Meng and another female panda, Hua Yan (华妍) , were simultaneously released into the Liziping National Nature Reserve in Shimian County, Sichuan. This was China’s first dual-female panda rewilding and the world’s first summer dual release.

Cross-Mountain Migration (2017)

In June 2017, Zhang Meng was discovered in Mianning County’s Tuowu Township — on the western side of the Xiaoxiangling mountain range from her release site. She had successfully crossed an entire mountain range, becoming only the second rewilded panda to travel between protected areas (跨保护区活动).

Post-Release Monitoring (2019)

By 2019, monitoring through feces DNA analysis confirmed Zhang Meng was healthy and thriving. She had traveled over 100 km in total, actively avoided humans, and demonstrated genuine wild behavior. Her GPS collar dropped off in May 2017 as designed.