The iconic giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) has just been taken off the endangered species list, following decades of rescue efforts.
According to the latest update to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, the official status for the panda has changed from 'endangered' to 'vulnerable'.
Conservation efforts by China to protect their habitat and re-establish forests have seen numbers of the animal increase in the wild by 17 per cent over the last decade, and researchers believe there are now around 2000 pandas in the wild.
"Evidence from a series of range-wide national surveys indicate that the previous population decline has been arrested, and the population has started to increase," said the IUCN's report.
"The improved status confirms that the Chinese government's efforts to conserve this species are effective," it added.
