Pandas' survival threatened
2004-06-10 14:19
Beijing - The population of endangered giant pandas in the wild in China has jumped by more than 40% to 1 590 since efforts to protect them began in the early 1990s, the government said on Thursday.
However, that number is still low and pandas face threats from "human intervention" and the isolation of their scattered living areas, said a report released at the start of a news conference by Foreign Ministry officials.
The panda, which lives in the mountains of China's southwest, is one of the world's rarest animals. Its survival is threatened by heavy cutting of forests where it lives and by hunting for its black-and-white pelt.
A survey that ended in 1988 found 1 110 pandas in the wild, the government report said.
A new survey this year found 1 590 animals, the ministry said. It said that didn't include pandas under 18 months of age, suggesting the total number could be even higher.
Since conservation efforts began in the early 1990s, the panda's "environment has improved and the number of its population has steadily increased," the report said.
But in some areas, it said, problems from "isolation and human intervention still exist." - Sapa-Ap
- SAPA