CHINA: Rumours of the death of the giant panda in the Chinese wilderness are greatly exaggerated, a new report has shown, but poachers, widespread logging and their scattered habitat means the cuddly black and white beasts are not out of the woods yet.
A survey by Chinese forestry officials and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) shows the number of giant pandas living in the wild in China has leapt by more than 40 per cent, to 1,590, although conservationists said the rise was due to special conservation efforts implemented in the early 1990s and said the panda was still on the endangered species list.
"We can say with full confidence that we have achieved great success in the conservation of the giant panda," said Mr Zhuo Rongsheng, a senior official with the State Forestry Administration.
"However, we cannot say that the giant panda is no longer endangered," warned Mr Zhuo.
The giant panda has been around since the days of the dinosaur and is considered a national treasure in China.
They are famously choosy about what they eat, choosing to chomp only on bamboo shoots. And they are difficult breeders.
Conservationists from Chinese forestry agencies and the WWF - which has a panda as its logo - spent four years traipsing around Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces gathering information on the reclusive animal.
The WWF said the rise in the panda population was probably due to better survey methods and didn't reflect a real rise in the the number of giant pandas because of the damage done to the creature's natural environment.
"Because of improved census methods, we have a more accurate count of how many there are in the wild, where they are, and the state of the habitat on which they depend," said Mr James Harkness, country representative of WWF China.
"The results of the survey will be used to help ensure that over the next few years we make even greater strides to protect this rare and precious animal," said Mr Harkness.
Mr Zhuo said China was building corridors to connect the isolated areas where pandas live and doing research on breeding, feeding and disease prevention.
He said the government also was experimenting with the release of pandas bred in captivity.
The survey showed that China's giant pandas in the wild had increased from some 1,110 in the 1980s to about 1,590 today. In addition, 161 pandas were artificially raised.