Little Panda Xiaocao: A New Chapter for the Species

[Giant Pandas + Wild Training and Release + No Romance + No CP + Heartwarming and Healing]

When I first arrived in Wolong, people described me as “a national treasure with a scruffy look”: a little buzz cut, a bewildered gaze, and a gray, fluffy ball curled up in the corner, looking like the very picture of meekness.

No one knew that beneath my gentle exterior lay a clear-headed and resilient heart.

It seems my whole life has been one long series of farewells:

I raised two naive cubs into “wild cubs” who could roam freely through the mountains, then sent them back to the forest;

Deep in Wolong’s mountains, I quietly searched for “wild dads” with good bloodlines for my children, then left behind the ones I’d grown fond of.

Humans call this “wild training and release” and “introducing new stock into the wild.” They say I’m making history for my species.

But to me, it’s simply a mother’s most heartfelt wish: for my children either to return to their true home in the mountains or to have more possibilities in captivity.

Over the long years, a bond of trust between humans and me has grown, one that crosses the boundaries between species.

Many years later, I’m sprawled in the courtyard, basking in the sun.

The young pandas next door chatter away: “Did you know? That’s Xiaocao, the celebrated panda and legendary empress dowager of our clan!”

Humans come to see me, too, full of praise: “She’s performed miracle after miracle. Even the leaders have to bow to her!”

I take a bite of bamboo shoot, my achievements hidden from view.

Good health and delicious food.

For me, that’s the best life a panda could ask for.