Giant Pandas Are No Longer Considered Endangered | Mental Floss

Giant Pandas Are No Longer Considered Endangered
Good news for giant pandas (and the people who love them): the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) no longer considers them to be an endangered species, LiveScience reports.
On Sunday, September 4, IUCN announced updates to its Red List of Threatened Species, a comprehensive inventory that details the global conservation status of various animal, plants, and fungi species. According to the organization, the giant pandaâs population numbers have increased enough for the group to downgrade the species as âvulnerable."
Wild giant pandas mostly live in Chinaâs bamboo forests. Threats including poaching and human-caused habitat destructionâwhich drives animals from their homes and also causes food shortagesâpushed the giant panda to the brink of extinction. But due to recent forest protection and reforestation measures, things are looking up: A nationwide census conducted in 2014 found that Chinaâs wild population of adult giant pandas now numbers 1864âa dramatic increase from 1596 in 2004. Add cubs to the mix, and the number rises to 2060.
Thanks in part to the World Wildlife Fundâs iconic logo, few endangered species are more recognizable than the adorable giant panda. But the WWF shouldnât consider changing its mascot just yet: Even though its population is rebounding, the IUCN says that the pandaâs habitat and food sources are still threatened by climate change. More than 35 percent of its bamboo habitat could vanish over the next century, they warn.
âWhereas the decision to downlist the giant panda to vulnerable is a positive sign confirming that the Chinese governmentâs efforts to conserve this species are effective, it is critically important that these protective measures are continued, and that emerging threats are addressed,â the IUCNâs report concluded.
According to The New York Times, the Tibetan antelope was also removed from the IUCNâs âendangeredâ listâbut other animals didnât fare so well. The eastern gorilla is now closer to extinction, and the plains zebra is ânear threatenedâ due to hunting.