Giant pandas no longer endangered, say Chinese officials

Giant pandas are no longer endangered after “active efforts on biodiversity protection and ecological restoration,” according to Chinese officials.

According to a report by Chinese state-run media Xinhuanet, ministry of ecology and environment official Cui Shuhong said in a press conference that the status of wild giant pandas in China had been downgraded from “endangered” to “vulnerable.”

The official said that the wild giant pandas were now in better environments and 1,800 lived in the wilderness.

In 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature took giant pandas off the endangered list and classified them as vulnerable, but Chinese officials did not mirror the decision initially.

The official added that the population of other rare and endangered species such as Siberian tigers, Amur leopards, Asian elephants and crested ibis were recovering as well, thanks to the country’s “ecological conservation and restoration projects.” – Kaela Malig/RC, GMA News