Did you know – Giant pandas are considered “celebrities of the zoo”? It’s because wherever they go, people just love to see them! But not all pandas are created equal.
In this article, I will walk you through 9 of the most well-known pandas in the United States.
Table of Contents
- 1. Mei Lan
- 2. Mei Xiang
- 3. Bei Bei
- 4. Gao Gao
- 5. Bai Yun
- 6. Hua Mei
- 7. Lun Lun
- 8. Mei Lun and Mei Huan
- 9. Tian Tian
- Final Thoughts
1. Mei Lan
- Nickname:
Atlanta’s Beauty.
The name Mei Lan means “American Orchid” or “Beautiful Orchid”.
- Location:
Zoo Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia
- Arrival Date/Date of Birth:
The Zoo Atlanta welcomed a male panda on September 6, 2006. He was named Mei Lan.
He was born to Lun Lun (mother) and Yang Yang (father). Due to China’s panda diplomacy, the giant pandas born in American zoos are legally China’s property.
Therefore, Mei Lan was sent back to China on February 4, 2010. He is presently a resident of Chengdu Panda Base.
- What Makes Him Popular?
Mei Lan’s mother Lun Lun underwent a 35-hour labor, which set a new record. His gender was initially thought to be female.
Due to this, a feminine name was given to him. As is customary in China, Mei Lan was given a name when he was about 100 days old.
After receiving 22% of the vote in a public online poll on ajc.com, the name Mei Lan was chosen.
Since he was first believed to be a female, many of the names in the poll involved the words “beautiful,” “orchid,” “peach,” or “moon,” which are frequently given to girls in China.
Mei Lan was the sole giant panda cub to be born in the United States in 2006. On 24th December 2006, he was awarded “person of the year” by The Sunday Paper in Atlanta. Thus he had outrun Atlanta humans Michael Vick, Cynthia McKinney, and others.
In 2021, Mei Lan briefly escaped his yard at the Beijing Zoo, increasing his popularity even more.
2. Mei Xiang
- Nickname:
Beautiful fragrance
- Location:
National Zoo/Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, DC
- Arrival Date/Date of Birth:
Mei Xiang was born on July 22, 1998, at the Wolong, Sichuan Province-based China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.
She was born to wild pandas Xue Xue (mother) and Lin Nan (father). She continues to live at the National Zoo.
- What Makes Her Popular?
Mei Xang gave birth to a male panda named Xiao Qi Ji on August 21, 2020. She had been 22 years old at that time.
Additionally, she was artificially inseminated using only frozen sperm. It was done to prevent too much close contact given that the world was affected by the coronavirus. Mei Xang was the oldest panda to give birth in the US, and she did so using this method.
She has given birth to seven cubs so far. All of them were born at the National Zoo and fathered by her mate Tian Tian. However, only four of them have made it to adulthood.
Mei and Tian were trained to participate in an anesthesia-free medical examination, including a blood draw.
3. Bei Bei
- Nickname:
Precious or treasure
- Location:
National Zoo/Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, DC
- Arrival Date/Date of Birth:
Bei Bei was born on August 22, 2015. He was born to Mei Xiang (mother) and Tian Tian (father).
- What Makes Him Popular?
Bei Bei was born in the National Zoo, Washington, D.C. He is now based at the Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center’s Ya’an Bifengxia Base in southwest Sichuan province.
Because his twin passed away from pneumonia 4 days later, Bei Bei’s birth was regarded as a high-profile event. His mother had previously experienced five false pregnancies.
On September 25, 2015, Bei Bei underwent his naming ceremony.
Michelle Obama and Peng Liyuan, the first ladies of the People’s Republic of China and the United States, respectively, proposed this name.
4. Gao Gao
- Nickname:
High High or Tall Tall
- Location:
San Diego Zoo, California
- Arrival Date/Date of Birth:
Gao Gao is a wild panda. He was born in China in the early 1990s. He came in January 2003 to the San Diego Zoo. He currently makes his home in China.
- What Makes Him Popular?
Around 1990, Gao Gao was born in the wild. But in 1993, he was moved to Fengtongzhai Nature Reserve because of his wounds.
He lost over two-thirds of his left ear as a result of his wounds. He was once more released into the wild in 1995, but only for a short while.
The reason being he was a nuisance to the nearby villages. Gao Gao was sent to the Wolong Panda Conservation Center shortly after in 2002.
In January 2003, Gao Gao came to the San Diego zoo. There, he and his partner Bai Yun had five cubs.
Gao Gao is valued for adding to the gene pool of the captive giant pandas because he is a wild-born animal. It is noteworthy that he has passed on webbed toes to all four of his oldest children.
5. Bai Yun
- Nickname:
White Cloud
- Location:
San Diego Zoo, California
- Arrival Date/Date of Birth:
Bai Yun was born on 7th September 1991. She came to the San Diego Zoo in September 1996.
In May 2019, she returned to China. She currently resides at the Giant Panda Conservation Research Center in Dujiangyan, China.
- What Makes Her Popular?
It was Bai Yun who gave birth to Hua Mei, the first giant panda born in the United States who lived to maturity. Bai Yun became pregnant through artificial insemination.
She has also given birth to five other cubs in addition to Hua Mei. However, they were conceived after natural mating.
Bai Yun was the second-oldest panda to give birth in recorded history after the birth of the male cub Xiao Liwu. Bai Yun’s age was 21 at the time.
Her other claim to fame is that she was the first female giant panda to be born at the Wolong Giant Panda Research Center.
6. Hua Mei
- Nickname:
China USA
- Location:
San Diego Zoo, California
- Arrival Date/Date of Birth:
Hua Mei was born on 21st August 1999 at San Diego Zoo, California. She currently lives in Bifengxia Panda Base in Ya’an in China.
- What Makes Her Popular?
Hua Mei was born to Bai Yun (mother) and Shi Shi (father). Though she was born in the San Diego Zoo, she was sent back to China in February 2004.
She was relocated to the Sichuan Province’s Wolong Reserve. However, she was transferred to the Bifengxia Panda Base of Ya’an following the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.
She has given birth to 14 cubs as of October 2019.
Hua Mei is recognized for being the first giant panda cub in American history to reach adulthood.
7. Lun Lun
- Nickname:
Hua Hua aka Lun Lun
- Location:
Zoo Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia
- Arrival Date/Date of Birth:
Lun Lun was born on 25th August 1997. She was born in Chengdu Panda Base, China. She came to the Atlanta Zoo in 1999.
- What Makes Her Popular?
Hua Hua was Lun Lun’s birth name, given to her by keepers in Chengdu. Su Huilun, a Taiwanese rock artist, adopted her.
She gave the panda the new name Lun Lun.
Lun Lun is regarded as a breathtakingly gorgeous panda because of her round, fluffy cheeks.
8. Mei Lun and Mei Huan
- Nickname:
A Chinese idiom that means “something indescribably beautiful and magnificent.”
- Location:
Zoo Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia
- Arrival Date/Date of Birth:
Mei Lun and Mei Huan were born on July 15, 2013 at the Atlanta Zoo. They were sent back to China in 2016.
- What Makes Them Popular?
Mei Lun and Mei Huan were both females. Lun Lun (mother) and Yang Yang (father) gave birth to them.
They are the first set of living giant panda twins to be born in the United States.
9. Tian Tian
- Nickname:
More and More
- Location:
National Zoo/Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, DC
- Arrival Date/Date of Birth:
Tian Tian was born on August 27, 1997.
He was born in the Wolong National Nature Reserve‘s China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan Province. He is now a resident of the National Zoo.
- What Makes Him Popular:
Tian Tian was born to Yong Ba (mother) and Pan Pan (father). Tian was trained to take part in a thorough medical checkup. It included a blood draw without the use of anesthetic.
At the national zoo, Tian Tian fathered four cubs, but he did it only by artificial insemination.
Final Thoughts
Now you are aware of some notable American pandas and their famous stories.
While one had received the “Person of the Year” award, another’s name was suggested by the first ladies of the US and China.
Regardless of fame, each panda is unique in its own way. So, the next time you see a panda, give thanks to nature for providing us with such cuddly animals.
Also, if you are looking for cute panda names, don’t forget to check out 279 Names For Pandas In Adopt Me.
