Who wants some good news?! The Giant Panda is off the endangered species list! Its numbers are increasing in the wild, and this a huge win for friends, family, and just general fans of Pandas.
On Sunday The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which monitors species placed on the "Red List," announced that these adorable bamboo eating machines were shifted from the category of 'endangered' to 'vulnerable'. So we're not totally in the clear - but it's still worthy of a celebration.
According to the ICUN, the population has grown due to effective forest protection reforestation, and confirms the Chinese government's efforts to conserve the species are effective.
There's been a 17% rise in the number of pandas between '04 and '14, and there are currently 1,864 in the wild. Which is great, but not that many.
But this is great news, so let's celebrate with ridiculously cute pics of pandas.
