A baby panda is pictured at the Pairi Daiza wildlife park in Brugelette, Belgium, June 2, 2016.[Photo/Agencies] |
Despite the population increase, 24 of the 33 groups of wild pandas found in the fourth census are believed to be endangered, with some groups having fewer than 30 pandas, Zhang said. Eighteen groups have fewer than 10 pandas each and are in severe danger of extinction, he added.
Meanwhile, Belgium's Pairi Daiza zoo announced on Thursday the birth of a panda, just three months after Chinese experts tried to artificially inseminate the mother, Hao Hao.
Su Zhou contributed to this story.