Zhang Xiang

Basic Profile

Zhang Xiang (Chinese: 张想, studbook number 826) is a female giant panda born on August 20, 2011 in the semi-wild rewilding training enclosure at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) in Wolong, Sichuan. Her birth weight was 137.4 grams.

Her mother is Zhang Ka (张卡, sb505), a wild-born panda rescued from Baoxing in 2001 who became a key mother in the rewilding program. Her father is Bai Yang (白杨), a wild male panda from the Qionglai mountain range. She has a twin sister, Su Shan (苏珊, sb827).

Zhang Xiang’s name was chosen by CCRCGP director Zhang Hemin (张和民), with “想” (xiang, meaning “hope/wish”) symbolizing the center’s dream of successfully rewilding captive-born pandas.

The Mother-Rearing Rewilding Method

Unlike the first rewilded panda Tao Tao (淘淘, sb777) — who was also mother-reared — Zhang Xiang was the first female to undergo this training. The mother-rearing method (母兽带仔野化培训) involved:

• Zhang Ka giving birth in a large semi-wild enclosure simulating natural conditions
• The cub learning survival skills — foraging, den-building, predator avoidance — entirely from its mother
• No human contact whatsoever, to prevent habituation
• Periodic health checks conducted remotely via camera traps and fecal analysis

This method was developed after the failure of Xiang Xiang (祥祥, sb531), the first rewilded male who was human-reared and died in the wild in 2007.

Zhang Xiang completed two phases of rewilding training from August 2011 to October 2013, learning to:

• Forage for wild bamboo species independently
• Find and drink from natural water sources
• Build dens in tree hollows and rock crevices
• Recognize and avoid predators and other threats
• Navigate steep, forested terrain

Release into the Wild

On November 6, 2013, Zhang Xiang was released into the Liziping Nature Reserve in Shimian County, Ya’an, Sichuan. The release ceremony was led by the State Forestry Administration and Sichuan Forestry Department. Zhang Xiang walked out of her transport cage and into the bamboo forest of the Xiaoxiangling mountain range, becoming the first captive-born female giant panda ever released into the wild.

She was fitted with a GPS tracking collar to monitor her movements. The release site was the same as Tao Tao’s, allowing monitoring teams to track both pandas simultaneously.

Post-Release Life

Tracking and Survival (2013-2017)

Zhang Xiang’s GPS collar transmitted location data showing she adapted well to the wild. She chose suitable habitats with abundant bamboo, primarily feeding on local bamboo species.

In April 2017, infrared camera footage captured Zhang Xiang in the Yehe Nature Reserve in Liangshan Prefecture — over 30 km from her release point. This was a landmark discovery: she had successfully migrated between two isolated sub-populations within the Xiaoxiangling region, proving that rewilded pandas could serve as “bridges” connecting fragmented wild populations.

This migration was hailed as a breakthrough achievement for the rewilding program, demonstrating that captive-born pandas could not only survive but also perform the ecological function of facilitating gene flow between isolated populations.

Recapture (2017)

In September 2017, Zhang Xiang was successfully recaptured in the Yehe area for a health check. The examination confirmed she weighed 174 jin (87 kg), with normal development of all limbs, teeth, mammary glands, and reproductive organs — fully adapted to wild conditions. She was released back to the wild immediately after the check.

Current Status

Zhang Xiang’s tracking collar eventually stopped transmitting. As of current records, her exact status is unknown — she may still be living wild in the Xiaoxiangling mountains. Her successful adaptation and inter-population migration established the mother-rearing rewilding method as the standard protocol for future releases, including Hua Yan (华妍, sb888) and Zhang Meng (张梦, sb916).