Giant panda numbers surge in China, but ‘less adorable’ animals still need conservation help

The China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda has welcomed 24 newborn cubs since the beginning of 2021, with a relatively high number of twins among the panda births recorded. Cubs ranging in age from three months to 10 days old are being cared for at the centre’s Shenshuping base in the southwestern province of Sichuan. In July, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment said the country’s wild population of giant pandas has increased to more than 1,800. The species is now classified as “vulnerable” rather than “endangered”. But some conservationists said the successful rebound for the giant panda overshadows the difficulties that “less adorable” animals often face.