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Key takeaways

Photos show pandas cared for by zookeepers, biologists, and conservationists at global zoos and breeding centers.
Adult pandas eat about 70 to 100 pounds of bamboo daily.
Male pandas can reach 250 pounds, females 220 pounds, and may live up to 30 years in human care.
Chengdu Research Base supports breeding and conservation, hosting the largest captive panda population and rewilding efforts.
Adorable moments include twins Jiu Jiu and You You, cubs climbing, napping in cribs, toys, and a Smithsonian farewell.

Members of the cosy and lovable however vulnerable species are commonly looked after in zoos and breeding centers around the globe, and these photos may make you envious of the caretakers’ work

Jess Daninhirsch

| Reporting Intern, Museums

October 2, 2026

Giant panda looking through bamboo — A giant panda peers with the trees and looks at the professional photographer at a nature get in China’s Qinling mountain range.
Ke Li, China, 2020

Large pandas are belonging to China, but fewer than 2, 000 reside in their all-natural habitats. They are listed as “susceptible” on the International Union for Preservation of Nature’s Red Checklist because of unlawful searching, a slow breeding rate and environment loss. Zoos and breeding centers around the world, including the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute , are functioning to maintain the species and help regrow the panda population.

Pandas count on a diet of in between 70 to 100 pounds of bamboo a day as an adult. When they’re not foraging for food in their mountainous habitat, they are relaxing and sleeping. Men can expand to be around 250 extra pounds and women about 220 pounds as grownups, and they can live for as much as 30 years when in human care.

Take a look at these images of pandas, the majority of which are taken care of by zookeepers, biologists and conservationists.