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line Ailuropoda melanoleuca (David, 1869)

POPULATION

During 1985 there were an estimated 555 to 655 Giant Pandas in 12 Reserves.6 MacKinnon and De Wulf (1994) have used satellite imagery to estimate the total area inhabited by Giant Pandas, and expect a total population of 1,200 pandas split into 29 fragmented populations.8,14 Of this total, about 800 pandas are now thought to occur in 13 panda reserves.6,14 The smallest total population needed to avoid potentially dangerous inbreeding is considered to be 500 randomly breeding individuals.6

Major population: On present evidence the greatest number of Giant Pandas occur in the Tangjiahe and Wolong Panda Reserves, but populations outside of Panda Reserves are not well-surveyed.



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