Zoologischer Garten Berlin, Berlin, Germany - home of Bao Bao (M). At age 30, Bao Bao is the oldest male panda living in captivity. He has been in Berlin for 28 years and has never reproduced.
Name: Bao Bao (Chinese Name: 宝宝, meaning "little treasure")
Sex: Male
DOB: September 1978 in China
Arrived in Berlin: November 5, 1980
The Berlin Zoological Garden (German: Zoologischer Garten Berlin) is the oldest and internationally most well known zoo in Germany. Opened in 1844 it comprises an area of 35 hectares and is located in Berlin, Tiergarten. With almost 1,400 different species and around 14,000 animals, the zoo presents the most comprehensive collection of species in the world.
The Elephant Gate was one of the entrances to the zoo (left). The aquarium holds the broadest biodiversity of aquatic lifes in Europe (right).
The zoo and its aquarium have attracted approximately 3.0 million annual visitors from all over the world. It is considered to be the most visited zoo in Europe and one of the most popular worldwide. Regular animal feedings are among its most famous attractions. Several animal stars in the zoo, like the polar bear cup Knut and the Giant Panda Bao Bao, have raised national and international interest, some of them even raised to celebrity status.
Knut is a polar bear cup born in captivity at the Zoo on 5 December 2006. Rejected by his mother at birth, the cup was subsequently raised by zookeepers. Knut became the center of a mass media phenomenon dubbed "Knutmania" that spanned the globe and quickly spawned numerous toys, media specials, DVDs, and books. The polar cub was largely attributed for an estimated 30 percent increase in zoo attendance in 2007, and making it the most profitable year in its 163-year history.
Knut during his debut in Berlin Zoo on March 23, 2007,
and his picture on the cover of Vanity Fair.
Bao Bao (born in 1978) is a male giant panda, another big star in Berlin where has about 100 to 150 articles written about him each year. At age 30, Bao Bao is the oldest known Giant Panda in a zoo worldwide, and currently is the only giant panda in the Berlin zoo. Like many of his kind, he is on a permanent loan from China for breeding purposes. In spite of several artificial inseminations with a female panda named Yan Yan, there has been no offspring yet.
In September 1979, the former Chinese Premier Hua Guofeng (华国锋) visited West Germany. As a goodwill gift, the Chinese government presented a couple of giant pandas to the former German Bundeskanzler Helmut Schmidt. On November 5, 1980 the male Bao Bao and his female companion Tjen Tjen came from the Chengdu Zoo to West Berlin. Both animals were 2 years old.
Giant panda Bao Bao took a walk in Berlin Zoo in 2007 (left);
His late female companion Yan Yan showing in a picture in 2004 (right)
Unfortunately, the female Tjen Tjen became ill in February 1984 with an unexpected intestine infection, and suffered from weakness and a kidney problem. She died on February 8, 1984, at the age she could have cubs.
After his mate Tjen Tjen died, Bao Bao stayed alone until November 1991 when Berlin Zoo agreed that Bao Bao would go on a loan to London Zoo for 2 years with female Ming Ming. But Bao Bao didn't like Ming Ming. The play-fight that normally proceeds the mating process with pandas turned nasty. Ming Ming was badly injured, and Bao Bao returned to Berlin.
In April 14, 1995 a new female, Yan Yan came from China to Berlin Zoo to join Bao Bao, thanks to the newly formed sister-ship cities between Beijing and Berlin. She originally was on loan for 5 years, but it was extended with 3 more years in 2001. In 2004 Volkswagen made a deal with China to keep Yan Yan longer in Berlin. Yan Yan was finally rendered as infertile by a hormonal disorder after numerous attempts at artificial insemination and a visit by Chinese zoologists. Yan Yan died suddenly on March 26, 2007, which again leaves Bao Bao the lone giant panda in Berlin Zoo.
A look back in history, Bao Bao was not the first giant panda on display in Germany. In December 1938, five giant pandas were smuggled from China to England. Four of them were bought by London Zoo. The fifth one, a male panda named Happy was send to Germany on January 26, 1939. In Germany, Happy was on display in the zoos of Hannover, Berlin (63 days), Frankfurt, Munich, Leipzig, Nurnberg and Cologne. After his trip through Germany, Happy went on display in Paris for 12 days. In France, Happy was sold to the Saint Louis Zoo in the US. He stayed in Saint Louis from June 24, 1939 until his death on March 10, 1946.
More information:
Zoologischer Garten Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Hardenbergplatz 8
D-10787 Berlin
Germany
