The population of giant pandas living in the wild has increased by 16.8 percent since 2003, bringing the total number of endangered species to 1,864, according to the latest report released by Chinese authorities.
Giant news for giant #pandas! The worldwide population increased by 268. http://t.co/VshbNA7TKa pic.twitter.com/JQDvuFqFhc
— WWF (@WWF) 28 февраля 2015
Wild giant pandas live only in China's central provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu. They lack natural enemies but still are at risk of extinction mostly due to habitat loss caused by large infrastructure projects in the Yangtze Basin.
Over the last decade Chinese authorities created 67 natural reserves to protect the animals. More than 65 percent of wild giant panda population currently lives in the protected areas.
