Rui Bao
Overview
Rui Bao (루이바오; 睿宝) is a female giant panda born on July 7, 2023, at Everland in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. She is the first-born of twins born to mother Ai Bao and father Le Bao. This is the first case in Korea of giant panda twins born through natural breeding, and together with her younger sister Hui Bao, she formed a fandom called the 'Bao Family' and became a popular culture phenomenon.
Main Content
Birth and Growth
Rui Bao was born in the early hours of July 7, 2023, weighing about 180 g. Newborn giant pandas weigh only 100–200 g, about one-thousandth of an adult's weight, and are born blind and nearly hairless. The Everland zoo and the Seoul Grand Park veterinary team combined artificial rearing in an incubator with observation of maternal care, and monitored around the clock as Ai Bao alternated care between the two cubs. By about 100 days after birth, her weight exceeded 5 kg and panda-specific markings—black eyes, ears, and shoulder band—became distinct. Around six months after birth, she began eating bamboo shoots and bamboo, entering the weaning stage. In early January 2024, she was first unveiled to general visitors and became a representative star of 'Panda Land'.
Family Relationships
Father Le Bao and mother Ai Bao came to Korea in 2016 under an agreement with China's National Forestry Administration, and had their first cub, Fu Bao, in 2020. Rui Bao and Hui Bao are Fu Bao's younger siblings, and Everland came to hold a five-panda family: Ai Bao, Le Bao, Fu Bao, Rui Bao, and Hui Bao. In April 2024, after their parents Le Bao and Ai Bao returned to Sichuan Province, China, upon expiration of the agreement period, the twins remained at Everland and continued to grow.
Name and Symbolism
The name was created by adding a character symbolizing wisdom to 'bao (宝)', meaning 'treasure' in Chinese, and is known to mean 'wise treasure'. It is also characterized by being designed to mirror the name of her younger sister Hui Bao. Rui Bao is said to have an active and curious personality, spends a long time playing with toys, and actively interacts with keepers.
Captive Care and Ecology
Giant pandas are classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, with a global population of about 1,800. Everland created a breeding and rearing environment through bamboo supply, body temperature and weight management, and behavioral enrichment programs, and this captive-care know-how is evaluated as a case in domestic panda conservation research. Rui Bao's daily life is shared through official YouTube channels and social media (SNS), contributing to greater public understanding of panda ecology.
Fandom and Cultural Impact
The 'Bao Family' fandom led to increased visitors and consumption of related goods and content, and documentaries and films about pandas became more active. Some assessments say that zoo-visiting culture centered on pandas has shifted toward 'observation and recording'.
Recent Trends
In 2024–2025, the timing of Rui Bao and Hui Bao's return to China emerged as a major point of interest. After the parents' return, discussions continued on coordinating the twins' fate with the agreement terms and the timing of transfer to adulthood; giant pandas generally become independent and are moved around age four. During the same period, Everland adjusted its panda viewing reservation system and on-site operation, and steadily released content marking the twins' birthdays and growth milestones. In addition, books, lectures, and broadcast activities centered on panda keepers (the figures known as 'Fu Bao's grandfathers') increased, spreading public discussion about animal welfare and the role of keepers. Growing interest in the species conservation and research functions of domestic zoos is also a notable trend in 2024–2025.
Related Topics
- [[아이바오]]
- [[후이바오]]
- [[러바오]]
- [[푸바오]]
- [[에버랜드]]
- [[자이언트 판다]]