Giant pandas may not be famous for their swimming skills, but they can definitely swim! Since they live in mountainous areas with small streams and rivers, they usually don’t need to swim much to get around. That’s why there aren’t many videos or photos of pandas swimming. But if they do get wet—like after wading through a stream—they’ll shake off the water just like other animals.
Adult pandas are actually pretty decent swimmers and can handle deeper water when needed. This is an important survival skill, especially when moving through their natural habitat. Young pandas, however, aren’t as confident in the water. Since their bodies are still developing and they lack experience, they can usually only manage crossing shallow streams.
Swimming isn’t just about survival, though—it’s also a great way for pandas to cool off in hot weather. When the temperature rises, a nice dip helps them lower their body temperature, burn off some energy, and even have a little fun splashing around.
In zoos and panda reserves, you’ll often see shallow pools in their enclosures, designed for them to soak and play in. These pools are kept shallow to ensure their safety, so it’s rare to see captive pandas swimming in deep water. However, some pandas, like Yuan Zhou from Shenzhen Safari Park, have shown they’re more than capable of swimming in deeper pools.
That said, pandas can still be vulnerable to floods. In 2014, after days of heavy rain in Wolong, Sichuan, a 6-to-7-year-old female panda was tragically found drowned. Experts believe she may have slipped while coming down the mountain for water and was swept away by a flash flood. A similar case happened in 2018 in Chengdu’s Dayi County, where a panda cub was found drowned after a storm. Sadly, the cub still had undigested milk in its stomach, meaning it had just nursed before the disaster struck.
So while pandas can swim when needed, extreme weather can still be dangerous for them.