The Chinese government has announced that the Giant Panda is no longer endangered thanks to conservation efforts. According to <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-57773472" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BBC News</a>, the classification of the species was downgraded this week after the population of the bears living in the wild rose to 1,800. Although the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) already removed the animal from its endangered species list and re-labeled it as "vulnerable" in 2016, Chinese officials had disputed this estimate. Take a look at this incredible video of the world's only brown panda: [[jwplayerwidget||https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/uZHT2WFw-Q0L14jDU.mp4||uZHT2WFw]] Indeed, Chinese officials who disputed the reclassification claimed that it could mislead people into believing that conservation efforts could and should be relaxed. However, as BBC News reports, zoologists claim that the success is due to Chinese efforts at replanting bamboo forests - which make up approximately 99% of the diet of panda bears [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/CNN/status/1413462448724533250]] Per <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/09/asia/china-giant-pandas-endangered-scli-intl-scn/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a>, the director of the Department of Natural Ecological Protection of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment Cui Shuhong stated at a press conference on Wednesday, July 7: "China has established a relatively complete nature reserves system [...] "Large areas of natural ecosystems have been systematically and completely protected, and wildlife habitats have been effectively improved." Shuhong also had good news for a number of other critically endangered Chinese animals, adding: "The number of species such as Siberian tigers, Amur leopards, Asian elephants, and crested ibis has increased significantly." Elsewhere, the populations of Giant Pandas living in captivity have also increased. [[facebookwidget||https://www.facebook.com/nationalzoo/photos/a.57283477901/10158534670832902/]] For instance, back in August of 2020, a Giant Panda by the name of Mei Xiang <a href="https://vt.co/animals/uplifting/joyous-news-as-precious-giant-panda-cub-is-born-at-washingtons-national-zoo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gave birth to an adorable cub</a> at Washington's National Zoo. Zookeepers revealed the amazing news with a post on social media, sharing a picture of Mei Xiang and writing: "Joyous news: a precious giant panda cub has arrived! Mei Xiang gave birth at 6:35 p.m. and is caring for her newborn attentively." They then continued: "Keepers are watching Mei Xiang’s behavior and hope to see her nurse the cub and cradle it close to keep him/her warm. They’re also listening for loud squeals, which are signs of a healthy cub." Let's hope the panda numbers only continue to increase. <h6>Featured Image Credit: Pexels/Laura The Explaura</h6>

Giant pandas are no longer endangered, China announces

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