Petition: Request To Reunite Giant panda Twins, "He Hua and He Ye"

Dear Leadership Of The Chengdu Research Base Of Giant Panda Breeding, 

He Ye has been locked indoors for nearly 30 days and your explanation is because of "estrus." But panda estrus lasts days, not a month.

He Ye' mental health is at risk. She has no outdoor access, no sunlight, no enrichment. She can likely hear and smell her sister through a wall but cannot reach her. Prolonged confinement causes depression and stereotypic behaviors in pandas.

Hua Hua's pacing is not random, she paces from the outer enclosure to the entrance of the inner enclosure where her sister is locked inside. She is trying to reach He Ye. When not pacing, she barely moves except to eat and sleep. She has expelled mucus and shows visible twitching in her belly area on livestream.

The last time Hua Hua expelled mucus was when separated from her childhood companions. Separation makes her sick.

The sisters can hear and smell each other but cannot touch. Hua Hua' behavior shows she knows exactly where He Ye is and is trying to get to her.

We demand that the Base prioritize the pandas' health above all else.

Specifically:

1. Return Heye to outdoor access immediately
2. Reunite the twins
3. Stop using "estrus" to justify a month of isolation

On May 16th, Chengdu  base released a video showing "fighting" to justify permanent separation of He Hua and He Ye. The video has many loopholes, such as its authenticity, the sounds and the video is made up of pieces from many videos put together, only showing the part where Hua Hua and He Ye are "fighting".

In the video it states the date when the video was taken  (April 14, 16, 19, 21, 22, and May 7). Official responses confirm He Ye was still in estrus on May 6. During estrus, a panda's scent changes and aggression may increase. Any competent panda expert would know this makes assessment invalid.

The video omits April 10, when witnesses documented intense screaming at the peak of He Ye's estrus. The base has never explained this omission.

On May 18th, He Ye was finally released and her condition was not good, her mite eyes were severe, the dark spot on her head were also visible (the dark spot is most likely because she is rubbing her head repeatedly on the floor due to stress, this also happened when Hua Ye were separated in a glass room in September 2024 and made He Ye panic and stressed because she was looking for her sister).

Since these forced separation, Hua Hua an He Ye  have been equally unable to adjust. Hua Hua has been frequently licking her toes/paws and grinding her teeth together. These are classic symptoms of stereotypic responses that occur when a panda is under stress, confined in conditions that do not meet its behavioral needs, or experiencing frustration.

Other behaviors observed include aimless tongue playing, paw-face rubbing, head shaking, body swaying, rolling, head rubbing on ground, pacing back and forth. Hua Hua going to the wall repeatedly and sitting facing it, is consistent with door- directed behavior (repeated checking at a wall). Pacing, waiting, shifting posture frequently, oriented toward where her sister used to be.

He Ye has shown signs of head rubbing, playing with her tongue, and repeatedly licking the wooden frame, while Hua Hua is lethargic, and stares blankly at the wall that separates her sister from her. These stereotypical behaviors and reduced appetite indicate that the separate outdoor enclosure housing is seriously affecting their physical and mental health.

The base may try to normalize these behaviors, but the science does not support them, and neither should we.

The base put Hua Hua and He Ye together indoors on June 12 (quietly, without public announcement). We heard the bleating of at least one panda, most probably both. In the following day or two, her stereotypic behaviors noticeably decreased.

That is a welfare response. It suggests that Hua Hua' distress is linked to the absence of He Ye, and that even brief contact provides relief.

The base will not say this or admit that the separation caused the distress, or that contact with He Ye alleviates it. But the evidence is there. The improvement is documented. Just one meeting together and she is much better. Her cure is her sister.

The base is still testing and watching. They are not as confident as they pretend. And Hua Hua' improvement after that indoor meeting is a reason to keep pushing for an outdoor assessment.

So our requests are:

1. Reunite Hua Hua and He Ye for the sake of their mental health before something bad happens.
2. Condut an outdoor assessment to make a final decision on whether Hua Hua and He Ye need to be separated or not.

The science is clear. The suffering is visible. Put the pandas first.

Sign to bring them back together.