The giant panda(Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is an vulnerable species endemic to China. Captive pandas are sometimes released into the wild for conservation purposes. The success of such reintroductions may be affected by the characteristics of the release site, such as climate, habitat, and the presence of sympatric animals. Based on field investigations and niche theory, this study explored the spatial relationships between giant pandas and other medium-to-large-sized sympatric animals in Liziping National Nature Reserve. Some 20 sympatric species were found in the reserve, belonging to two classes and five orders. Oriental species were predominant (30%). The elevational distributions of sympatric animals were significantly lower than that of giant pandas (P < 0.05). All five orders had significant niche differentiation from giant pandas in terms of altitudinal distribution (P < 0.001). Primates had different spatial distributions to giant pandas, while other orders had similar ones. Artiodactyla comprised the greatest proportion of documented animal traces (54.14%). The transect co-occurrence rate of red panda and giant panda was 43.75%. The results indicate that there are abundant sympatric animals in this reserve and that they have significant altitudinal niche differentiation from giant pandas. This study provides an important reference for programs intending to release captive giant pandas into the wild.