The International Union for Conservation of Nature, which keeps track of threatened species across the world, has reclassified the status of the Giant Panda from endangered to vulnerable. This is as a result of years of hard work to preserve the species, and protect their natural habitat.
The Giant Panda has for a long time been used as the logo for the World Wildlife Fund. As a result of this there has been a sustained long term attempt to increase the amount of Panda’s in the wild. Their population now stands at around 2000 in the wild, a 17% increase compared with 10 years ago.
This could become an important occasion for all conservation groups, not just the WWF. The reemergence of the giant panda is a great advert for the work these groups perform. It also shows that the money which is donated does serve a real purpose. This could result in more new people giving donations than any marketing campaign could achieve.
However it isn’t all good news. The Eastern Gorilla has now been classified as critically endangered. This means that 4 out of the 6 great ape species are now critically endangered. With the remaining 2, the chimpanzee and bonobo, still classed as endangered.
If you would like to join the WWF, adopt an animal or simply make a donation, you can do so by clicking here.