Meet Yu Lei (玉垒), a charming male giant panda born on September 14, 2017, at the Wolong Shenshu Ping Base of the China Giant Panda Protection and Research Center. He is the son of the lovely panda Cui Cui and the impressive Wu Gang, and his lineage number is 1115. Known for his playful spirit and endearing antics, Yu Lei has captured the hearts of many with his delightful personality.
Basic Information
- Name: Yu Lei (玉垒)
- Gender: Male
- Date of Birth: September 14, 2017
- Place of Birth: China Giant Panda Protection and Research Center, Wolong Shenshu Ping Base
- Lineage Number: 1115
- Mother: Cui Cui (翠翠)
- Father: Wu Gang (武岗)
- Siblings: Pang Niu (胖妞), Ji Fu (吉福)
Intriguing Details of Panda Yu Lei
Name Origin: On December 27, 2018, Dujiangyan City announced the names of four pandas representing the city after a global naming contest. Among them, “Yu Lei” was chosen for Cui Cui’s cub. The name “Yu Lei” refers to the Yu Lei Mountain, formed during the construction of Dujiangyan’s irrigation project, and comes from a famous line by the poet Du Fu: “The spring scenery of Jinjiang comes from heaven and earth, while the floating clouds of Yu Lei change through time.”
Focused on Eating: As a cub, Yu Lei was a calm and quiet panda, uninterested in the world around him. No matter how noisy his playmates were, he didn’t care and focused solely on eating. As a result, Yu Lei became adorably chubby and round.
Imitation Expert: On March 30, 2023, at a panda facility in Hunan’s Xiangxi, Yu Lei impressed visitors by mimicking the playful movements of schoolchildren outside his enclosure. His jumping, dodging, and swaying were so lifelike and vivid that netizens jokingly called him a kid wearing a panda costume.
Lively and Cheerful: Yu Lei loves performing dances on tires, often ending his routine by throwing the tire away. He once fell from a tree and, in frustration, broke a tree branch and tossed it into the pool to vent his anger.
Life Experience of Panda Yu Lei
Early Life: Shortly after his birth, Yu Lei received careful nurturing at the China Giant Panda Protection and Research Center, where he thrived alongside his sister, Pang Niu, and his younger sister, Ji Fu. Together, they enjoyed a joyful childhood filled with playful moments.
As he grew, Yu Lei experienced several relocations and work trips. On May 29, 2020, he, along with several other pandas – Long Sheng (龙昇), Qing Feng (清风), Xing An (兴安), Fu Fu (府府), Hua Hong (华鸿), Li Dui (离堆), and Jing Bao (京宝) – set off for a new chapter in their lives at the Phoenix Chinese Giant Panda Park in Hunan Province.