Hua Mei (giant panda)
Encyclopedia
Hua Mei (born August 21, 1999), is a female giant panda
. She is the first giant panda cub to survive to adulthood in the United States
. She was born to Bai Yun
(mother) and Shi Shi
(father) at the San Diego Zoo
. Millions of people around the world watched Hua Mei grow up via the zoo's Panda Cam.
Hua Mei is the elder half-sister to four other cubs born to Bai Yun: Mei Sheng
, Su Lin, Zhen Zhen
, and Yun Zi
. These cubs' father is Gao Gao
.
In February 2004, upon reaching adulthood, Hua Mei was relocated to the Wolong Reserve
in Sichuan Province, China
, where she is reportedly doing very well. By the end of 2007, she has given birth to 3 sets of twins: male twins Tuan Tuan and Mei Ling on September 1, 2004, male/female twins Wei Wei and Ting Ting on August 29, 2005, and another set of male twins, Hua Long and Hua Ao, on 16 July 2007.
After the 2008 Sichuan earthquake
damaged much of the giant panda facility in Wolong, Hua Mei was relocated to the Bifengxia Panda Base
in Ya'an
. In July, 2009, Hua Mei gave birth to a single female cub named Hao Hao.
Hua Mei delivered her eighth cub, a male, in September 2010.
Giant Panda
The giant panda, or panda is a bear native to central-western and south western China. It is easily recognized by its large, distinctive black patches around the eyes, over the ears, and across its round body. Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the panda's diet is 99% bamboo...
. She is the first giant panda cub to survive to adulthood in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She was born to Bai Yun
Bai Yun
Bai Yun is a female giant panda currently at the San Diego Zoo. Bai Yun was the first successful birth of a giant panda at the Wolong Giant Panda Research Center in China...
(mother) and Shi Shi
Shi Shi (giant panda)
Shi Shi , or "Rock", was a male giant panda who briefly stayed at the San Diego Zoo. He was the sire of Hua Mei.-History:...
(father) at the San Diego Zoo
San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, is one of the most progressive zoos in the world, with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species...
. Millions of people around the world watched Hua Mei grow up via the zoo's Panda Cam.
Hua Mei is the elder half-sister to four other cubs born to Bai Yun: Mei Sheng
Mei Sheng
Mei Sheng is a male giant panda born at the San Diego Zoo. He is the second panda to be born at the zoo and is the first offspring of Bai Yun and Gao Gao. He is the half brother of Hua Mei and the brother of Su Lin, Zhen Zhen, and Yun Zi.Mei Sheng was sent to China on November 5, 2007...
, Su Lin, Zhen Zhen
Zhen Zhen
Zhen Zhen, , pronounced 'jun jun' is a female giant panda born to Bai Yun and Gao Gao at the San Diego Zoo. Her name means "Precious". She is Bai Yun's fourth cub, and Gao Gao's third. Zhen Zhen has one half sibling, Hua Mei, and three full siblings, Mei Sheng, Su Lin, and Yun Zi...
, and Yun Zi
Yun Zi
Yun Zi is a male giant panda born at the San Diego Zoo on August 5, 2009. His name is "Son of Cloud" in Chinese.Weighed in at 4 ounces, Yun Zi is the fifth cub born to his mother Bai Yun, and the fourth to his father Gao Gao. He has one half-sister, Hua Mei, through Bai Yun. He also has one full...
. These cubs' father is Gao Gao
Gao Gao
Gao Gao is a male giant panda currently at the San Diego Zoo. To date, he is the sire to four giant pandas in captivity.-History:Gao Gao was born in the wild in China, around 1992, and was taken to the Fengtongzhai Nature Reserve in 1993 suffering from injuries which resulted in the loss of...
.
In February 2004, upon reaching adulthood, Hua Mei was relocated to the Wolong Reserve
Wolong National Nature Reserve
Wolong National Nature Reserve is a protected area located in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China. Established in 1963, the reserve covers an area of about 200,000 hectares in the Qionglai Mountains region. There are over 4,000 different species recorded in the reserve....
in Sichuan Province, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, where she is reportedly doing very well. By the end of 2007, she has given birth to 3 sets of twins: male twins Tuan Tuan and Mei Ling on September 1, 2004, male/female twins Wei Wei and Ting Ting on August 29, 2005, and another set of male twins, Hua Long and Hua Ao, on 16 July 2007.
After the 2008 Sichuan earthquake
2008 Sichuan earthquake
The 2008 Sichuan earthquake or the Great Sichuan Earthquake was a deadly earthquake that measured at 8.0 Msand 7.9 Mw occurred at 14:28:01 CST...
damaged much of the giant panda facility in Wolong, Hua Mei was relocated to the Bifengxia Panda Base
Bifengxia Panda Base
Bifengxia Panda Base is a giant panda breeding facility in Ya'an, Sichuan, China. Since opening in 2004, it has become home to several more giant pandas. This includes the U.S.-born Hua Mei and Mei Sheng, who were relocated there after the May 12, 2008 Sichuan earthquake severely damaged the...
in Ya'an
Ya'an
Ya'an is a prefecture-level city in the western part of Sichuan province of Southwest China, located just below the Tibetan Plateau.-History:...
. In July, 2009, Hua Mei gave birth to a single female cub named Hao Hao.
Hua Mei delivered her eighth cub, a male, in September 2010.