More Giant Pandas in China Than First Thought

June 20, 2006 -- -- The number of giant pandas left in the wild may amount to double what scientists previously estimated, according to research released Monday by scientists at Britain's Cardiff University and China's Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Although the bears are considered an endangered species, with only about 1,600 giant pandas believed to exist, the new findings show that as many as 3,000 giant pandas could be roaming the wild.

Panda experts are excited by the findings. "This is a very significant finding," San Diego Zoo panda specialist Dr. Ron Swaisgood told ABC News. "It's a milestone in panda conservation."

A New Hope

Half of the panda's mountainous bamboo habitat disappeared between 1974 and 1988. Deforestation, poaching and China's massive population increase have rendered the species on the brink of extinction.

Natural factors also play their part in the low panda numbers. Preferring to be by themselves for most of the year, pandas have a very short breeding season. Their rate of reproduction is low, with females giving birth to just one or two cubs, which are very dependant on their mothers during the first few years of life. In the wild mother pandas will care for only one of their young.

Wildlife reserves established in China ensure that the remaining wild pandas have space to live and eat without unwelcome human interference. Keepers help to hand raise any twin cubs. One baby is left with the mother and the keepers switch the twins every few days so each one gets care and milk directly from the mother, reports SanDiegoZoo.com.

Past surveys found the number of wild giant pandas, which can weigh as much as 265 pounds, hard to accurately identify due to the animal's mysterious and guarded nature. However, researchers from the U.K. and China used a new method whereby they analyzed DNA recovered from panda droppings.

"These new results are much more reliable than those previously collected," said Swaisgood.

The results indicate that about 66 pandas live in the Wanglang Nature Reserve in Sichuan Province, more than double the number estimated in a 1998 survey.

Additionally, the study found that there is no evidence of inbreeding or low genetic diversity that might threaten the long-term survival of the species.

While the latest findings are good news, pandas remain under threat. Only around 60 percent of the population is under protection in reserves, according to the World Wildlife Federation Web site.

Swaisgood, who has worked with pandas for 10 years, says the animals are dependant on the continued protection of the wildlife reserves and cautions that people should not get too carried away with the latest census.

"We are now much more optimistic, but they are still a critically endangered species," he said.