Shi Shi (giant panda)
Encyclopedia
Shi Shi or "Rock", was a male giant panda
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...

 who briefly stayed 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...

. He was the sire of Hua Mei
Hua Mei (giant panda)
Hua Mei , 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 and Shi Shi at the San Diego Zoo...

.

History

Shi Shi was "rescued" from the wild in Sichuan, 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...

 in 1992. He was rehabilitated and sent to San Diego Zoo as the mate for 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...

 in 1996. In 1999, Bai Yun was artificially inseminated with sperm from Shi Shi and Hua Mei
Hua Mei (giant panda)
Hua Mei , 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 and Shi Shi at the San Diego Zoo...

 was their offspring. It was eventually determined that he was much older than was originally assumed, and he was replaced by 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...

 as Bai Yun's mate.

Shi Shi lived out his remaining years in China at the Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...

Zoo and died on July 5, 2008.
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