On July 16, 2026, the Jiuzhaigou National Nature Reserve Administration announced that field monitoring conducted during the spring of 2026 had yielded two significant discoveries. In March, staff captured live footage of a wild giant panda on the boardwalk near Changhai (Long Sea), an area at approximately 3,000 meters elevation with abundant vegetation and well-preserved forest cover. In April, fresh panda droppings were found in Danzugou, a different sector of the reserve.
What made the discovery scientifically meaningful was the DNA analysis that followed. Researchers from Sichuan University's College of Life Sciences compared the genetic material extracted from the Danzugou droppings with samples from the March sighting. The results showed the two sets of DNA did not match — confirming that they belonged to two separate individual pandas. This proves that at least two distinct wild giant pandas are now active within the reserve.
The significance extends beyond the pandas themselves. Jiuzhaigou, a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its turquoise lakes and tiered waterfalls, was struck by a magnitude-7.0 earthquake in 2017 that caused widespread landslides and habitat disruption. The return of multiple wild pandas signals that the ecosystem has recovered sufficiently to support a breeding population of this flagship species.
Wild giant pandas are notoriously difficult to monitor because they are solitary, elusive, and inhabit dense bamboo forests at high elevations. DNA-based tracking from fecal samples has become the standard method for population surveys, since each panda has a unique genetic signature and scat is far easier to find than the animal itself. Researchers can also extract dietary and stress-hormone information from the same samples.
The knowledge takeaway: Jiuzhaigou now hosts at least two wild giant pandas, confirmed by DNA analysis of droppings collected in spring 2026. This is more than a charismatic-animal story — it is a measurable indicator that the post-earthquake ecosystem is rebuilding, and shows how non-invasive genetic monitoring has become a cornerstone of modern wildlife conservation.