A giant panda named Gao Gao has returned to Sichuan Province after a 15-year stay in the United States.

Gao Gao walks around his enclosure at the Giant Panda Research Protection Center in Sichuan Province on Thursday, November 1, 2018. (Photo: Provided by the Giant Panda Research Protection Center)

According to local media reports on Thursday, the 28-year-old male will be kept under close observation for a month by staff at the Giant Panda Research Protection Center at Qincheng Mountain in Sichuan Province.

The research center is now home to 13 pandas with the return of Gao Gao, who has already make a significant contribution to China's giant panda breeding program as a father of five offspring.