Er Shun is a female

giant panda The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear (or simply the panda), is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes us ...

, born at the Chongqing Zoo. On Monday, March 25, 2013, two giant pandas Er Shun (female) and

Da Mao Da Mao (born September 1, 2008) is a giant panda that was born at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. He was born to Mao Mao (female) and Yuhin/Xiongbang (male). The name Da Mao means "first of Mao" as he was his mother's first bor ...

(male) arrived at

Toronto Zoo The Toronto Zoo is a zoo located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Encompassing , the Toronto Zoo is the largest zoo in Canada. It is divided into seven zoogeographic regions: Indo-Malaya, Africa, Americas, Tundra Trek, Australasia, Eurasia, and the ...

, with their exhibit (the refurbished Amur tiger exhibit) opening to the public on May 18. The bears are on a 10-year Canada tour from the Chengdu Panda Base and Chongqing Zoo, residing in Toronto from 2013 to 2017 and at the

Calgary Zoo The Calgary Zoo is located in Bridgeland, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, just east of the city's downtown and adjacent to the Inglewood and East Village neighborhoods. It is accessible via Calgary's C-Train light rail system, by car via Memorial ...

from 2018 to 2022. When plans were first made to bring giant pandas to Canada, Er Shun was believed to be male, and had been paired with a female from the

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (or simply Chengdu Panda Base) is a non-profit research and breeding facility for giant pandas and other rare animals. It is located in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Chengdu Panda Base was founded i ...

for the journey. Months before her departure her true sex was determined and the known female switched out for male

. Without blood testing, identifying panda sex is next to impossible until the animals reach full sexual maturity. With the pandas' arrival, the Toronto zoo has refurbished its seasonal attraction area into an extensive educational centre - the Giant Panda Interpretive Centre. In 2014, after her first estrus, Er Shun was artificially inseminated - the first such procedure performed on a panda in Canada. No baby was born in 2014 and it was believed that Er Shun experienced a

pseudopregnancy In mammalian species, pseudopregnancy is a physical state whereby all the signs and symptoms of pregnancy are exhibited, with the exception of the presence of a fetus, creating a false pregnancy. The corpus luteum (the remains of an ovulated ovari ...

, a phenomenon common in giant pandas. On October 13, 2015, Er Shun gave birth to two cubs - the first giant pandas born in Canada. One was born at 3:31 AM and weighed 187.7 g and the other was born at 3:44 AM and weighed 115 g. At this very small size, the cubs' chance of survival was low. It was announced on February 5, 2016, that the panda cubs were Male (the larger panda) and Female (smaller). They were not viewed by the public until the age of 5 months. The names of the cubs are Jia Panpan (male) and Jia Yueyue (female). On March 23, 2018, Er Shun, her cubs, and Da Mao all left the Toronto Zoo to begin a five-year stay at the Calgary Zoo, in accordance with the agreement between the Canadian and Chinese governments. In May 2020, the Calgary Zoo requested that both Er Shun and Da Mao pandas be returned to China due to the difficulty of importing bamboo during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Er Shun was born at the Chongqing Zoo on August 10, 2007 (Year of the Pig). Her mother Yalaoer (also called as Ya Ya) raised her at the zoo; her father was Ling Ling. The name Er Shun means "double smoothness" because she was the second born and they hoped for smooth and healthy growth. Er Shun's grandmother Xing Xing was in Calgary, Canada in 1988 for a friendly half year exchange. Er Shun's character traits include being docile, lively and affectionate towards her zoo keepers.

References

{{Reflist Individual giant pandas 2007 animal births Individual animals in Canada

See also

References