How long have pandas been endangered

China considers pandas a national treasure, but have also loaned them to other countries as diplomatic tools. The latest classification upgrade "reflects their improved living conditions and China's efforts in keeping their habitats integrated", said Cui Shuhong, head of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment's Department of Nature and Ecology Conservation at a news conference. The new classification comes years after the International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN had already removed the animal from its endangered species list and re-labelled it as "vulnerable" in At the time, however, Chinese officials had disputed the decision, saying that it could mislead people into believing that conservation efforts could be relaxed.

This week's announcement by China's environmental ministry is the first time the animal's status was changed on its own endangered species list, which uses similar standards as the Swiss-based IUCN. Rangers usually live inside the reserves, trekking up to weeks at a time through mountainous bamboo forests to maintain camera traps and record wildlife behavior.

One measure Chinese conservationists have adopted is to breed and raise pandas in captivity with the aim of releasing them into reserves to bolster wild populations. The effort has had mixed success. So far, 14 pandas have been released, 12 of them captive-bred. Of those, nine have survived. The two others were wild pandas that had been rescued and kept in captivity. The only released panda ever confirmed to successfully breed in the wild was one of the wild rescues.

Read more about pandas being reintroduced into the wild. In late , the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas announced a plan to release three pandas in Jiangxi Province, where the animals have been extinct for at least 10, years. This would have been the first release of captive pandas outside Sichuan Province had the plan not fizzled in mid amid fierce debate among Chinese researchers and officials over the efficacy of reintroducing pandas.

Check out three places to see giant pandas in the wild. Wang hopes a decision will be made to release more pandas in a methodical, targeted way, to boost small regional populations and to connect wildlife corridors so the animals can move about freely in areas with good habitat. All rights reserved.

By the s, their numbers in the wild had fallen to just over a thousand. Extinction loomed. Share Tweet Email. Why it's so hard to treat pain in infants. This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city Caracals have learned to hunt around the urban edges of Cape Town, though the predator faces many threats, such as getting hit by cars.

Pulling the panda back from the brink It's official. The panda is on the road to recovery. For fifty years, it has been the world's most beloved conservation icon and WWF's symbol. And decades of dedicated effort are now paying off. Help protect the panda home. Saving pandas and so much more It has taken a huge effort to halt the decline in panda numbers.

WWF has been working with the government since on initiatives to save the world's most famous bears and their unique habitat. We've helped to establish an integrated network of giant panda reserves and wildlife corridors as well as working with local communities to develop sustainable livelihoods and minimise their impact on the forests.

The number of panda reserves has jumped to Giant pandas have had "endangered" status since the s. Enthusiastic conservation missions are in full swing in China and in other parts of the world. Giant pandas in the wild have a highly limited geographic scope, as they are found only in south-central China's provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu. These forest and mountain inhabitants eat mostly bamboo, but they sometimes consume musk deer fawns, wee rodents, fruit, bulbs and bugs.

These iconic animals generally weigh pounds, according to the National Geographic. They usually grow to between 4 and 5 feet high.