Giant panda is no longer an endangered species

The International Union for Conservation of Nature said that the giant panda is no longer an endangered species. However, it remains vulnerable and people should still pay attention to it.  This happened due to the population rebound in China, where the giant panda is the national animal. Unfortunately, these beautiful creatures are hunted for their soft wool. Even though in the past there were more than one million pandas, now we can find only 150 000.

China was one of the countries that made their best in protecting endangered animals. They implemented more initiatives, such as nature reserves, to increase the giant panda population. There were years of work until they managed to protect these animals. The authorities also made laws for forest protection, so the giant panda would have a safe habitat to live. Once they had a safe place and food, it was easier for pandas to live and reproduce.

The World Wildlife Fund, one of the most popular organizations, said that this is a great moment.  There were not only scientists involved, but also the authorities and people who live in those areas. They wanted to help the giant panda survive. What happened in China should be seen as an example for other countries. There are many which have similar problems. The giant panda is now vulnerable and this means that even though the risk is not so big, it still can be a problem.

There are some people who think that the giant panda is endangered.The climate chang will affect the panda’s habitat and it will lead to a limited genetic diversification of this species. Moreover, the protection funding could be less after people will find out that pandas are just vulnerable.

While the giant panda is safer than before, there are other endangered species who need our help. For example, Eastern gorillas are on the red list, with most of their population dead due to hunting. Scientists are expecting them to disappear in a few years if there will not be big changes in the way we protect those animals.  If we are not able to protect one of the most interesting species we have, what will happen in the future? There are already so many endangered animals and most of them are like this because of humans. Hunting is illegal, but there should be more laws regarding this matter. In the future, our children could be able to see Eastern gorillas just in books or photos.

Image source: Wikipedia