When keeper John Michel met Shi Shi at the Shanghai Zoo, he noted the male bear's more reserved personality. "Shi Shi sat quietly and looked at me nonchalantly. I talked to him in a low voice, and several times elicited an interested, sidelong glance from him. Quiet and deliberate, with healed scars from his 12 to 15 years in the wild, Shi Shi looked every bit the survivor that he is. I took an immediate liking to him." Zoo staff and visitors also quickly developed a fondness for Shi Shi and his slower approach to life.