Giant Panda Captive Breeding

Quick Facts

Name: The Chinese call it the ‘big bear-cat’ (大熊猫 da xiongmao /dah-sshyong-maow/).
Size: 75 centimeters (2.5 foot) tall and 1.5 meters (5 foot) long

Weight: Up to 150 kg (330 lb)
Habitat: Central- Western and Southwest China.Mainly Sichuan. A few in Shaanxi and Gansu. See the map »
Diet: 99% bamboo. 13 kg (30 lb) or more a day.
Life Span: Up to 30 years in captivity, but usually only 15 to 20 years in the wild
Protection Status: Endangered. Estimates of giant panda numbers in the wild vary between 1,500 and 3,000.
Giant Panda Facts »

Giant Pandas and Panda Researchers

Giant Panda Numbers

China is the only natural home of giant pandas, and wild giant pandas can only be found in deep forests in some parts of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu Provinces. Estimates of giant panda numbers are no more than 2,000, including about 300 in captivity.

An Endangered Species

The giant panda is an endangered species, due to loss of habitat and very low birth rate (one cub per two years). Female pandas usually can give birth to only one baby panda at a time, and newborn pandas are extremely fragile. Therefore to save the species, China has begun captive breeding programs.

Breeding Centers

There are two main captive breeding centers in China open to the public: Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and Bifengxia Giant Panda Base, both accessible from Chengdu in Sichuan Province.

Captive Breeding

After a baby panda is born, the mother panda will eat less, and will devote her time and energy to feeding and training the baby, which is very laborious, and thus lowers her health condition and life span.

At breeding centers, researchers help the mother pandas to take care of the cubs, thus helping to ensure the survival of both. Pandas in captivity can live 30 years or longer, while wild pandas usually live about 20 years.