Gao Gao

Gao Gao eating bamboo in his habitat at the San Diego Zoo.

Gao Gao (Chinese: 高高; literally: "High High or Tall Tall"[1]) is a male giant panda currently at the San Diego Zoo. To date, he is the sire to five giant pandas in captivity.

History

Gao Gao was born in the wild in China, around 1990, and was taken to the Fengtongzhai Nature Reserve in 1993 suffering from injuries which resulted in the loss of nearly two thirds of his left ear.

In 1994, Gao Gao was briefly released to the wild, but was too disruptive to the local villages. He was then brought to the Wolong Panda Conservation Center in 2002.[2]

Gao Gao arrived at the San Diego Zoo in January 2003 and replaced Shi Shi as Bai Yun's mate.[3] This has proven to be a very successful pairing — Gao Gao and Bai Yun are the parents of Mei Sheng (M), Su Lin (F), Zhen Zhen (F), Yun Zi (M), and Xiao Liwu (M),[1] all conceived via natural mating. He has three grandchildren, among them a male born to Su Lin on July 7, 2011.

Genetic anomaly

Gao Gao, being wild-born, is considered a valuable contributor to the captive giant panda gene pool. One noteworthy genetic trait, which he has passed on to the oldest four of his offspring, is webbed toes.[4][5]

See also

Footnotes and references

  1. 1 2 "Meet the Pandas: Gao Gao's San Diego Zoo Profile".
  2. ↑ Rosenbaum, Ellie. "Celebrating Gao Gao". San Diego Zoo.
  3. ↑ Shi Shi was sent back to China.
  4. ↑ "Panda Ducklings?". San Diego Zoo. September 11, 2009.
  5. ↑ "Zoo confirms panda paternity: Tiny toes tell the tale". The Orange County Register. September 16, 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-09-24.
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