Er Shun facts for kids

Er Shun is a famous female giant panda who was born at the Chongqing Zoo in China. She became well-known in Canada when she traveled there as part of a special panda exchange program. Er Shun even gave birth to the first-ever giant panda cubs in Canada!

Er Shun's Big Trip to Canada

On March 25, 2013, Er Shun, a female panda, and Da Mao, a male panda, arrived at the Toronto Zoo. These two pandas were on a special 10-year visit to Canada from China. They stayed at the Toronto Zoo from 2013 to 2017. After that, they moved to the Calgary Zoo and lived there from 2018 to 2022.

When plans were first made to bring pandas to Canada, people thought Er Shun was a male. She was supposed to travel with a female panda. However, a few months before her trip, experts found out she was actually a female! So, the female panda was swapped for a male panda named Da Mao. It's very hard to tell if a panda is male or female until they are fully grown.

When the pandas arrived, the Toronto Zoo created a special learning area. It was called the Giant Panda Interpretive Centre. Here, visitors could learn all about giant pandas.

The First Panda Cubs Born in Canada

On October 13, 2015, Er Shun gave birth to two tiny cubs. These were the first giant pandas ever born in Canada! One cub was born at 3:31 AM and weighed about 187 grams. The second cub arrived at 3:44 AM and weighed about 115 grams. Because they were so small, their chances of survival were very low.

On February 5, 2016, the zoo announced that the larger cub was a male and the smaller one was a female. The public did not get to see the cubs until they were five months old. The names of these special cubs are Jia Panpan (the male) and Jia Yueyue (the female).

Returning to China

On March 23, 2018, Er Shun, her two cubs, and Da Mao all left the Toronto Zoo. They moved to the Calgary Zoo for a five-year stay. This move was part of the agreement between the Canadian and Chinese governments.

However, in May 2020, the Calgary Zoo asked to send Er Shun and Da Mao back to China early. This was because of problems getting enough bamboo for them during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pandas eat a lot of bamboo, and it became very difficult to import it.

Er Shun's Early Life and Family

Er Shun was born at the Chongqing Zoo in China on August 10, 2007. This was during the Year of the Pig. Her mother's name was Yalaoer (also called Ya Ya), and her father was Ling Ling. Er Shun's name means "double smoothness." This name was chosen because she was the second cub born, and her keepers hoped she would grow up smoothly and healthily.

It's interesting to know that Er Shun's grandmother, Xing Xing, also visited Canada. Xing Xing was in Calgary in 1988 for a friendly six-month exchange program.

Er Shun is known for being a calm, lively, and loving panda. She is very affectionate towards her zoo keepers.

See also

• List of giant pandas
• List of individual bears