Good news for the Giant Panda. The population has grown - conservation
— IUCN Red List (@IUCNRedList) September 4, 2016
action works! https://t.co/Yn2uTcEWhJ pic.twitter.com/7ml13vAYgw
Ever since you were a little kid, you have been interested in the critically endangered Giant Panda. Maybe part of the reason these bears are so fascinating is because Chicago played a major role in their history in the west.
The Brookfield Zoo was the first in America to have a Giant Panda exhibit. Purchased from explorer Ruth Harkness in 1937, the panda cub Su Lin was the first to ever leave China -- and the first panda most westerners ever saw. His taxidermied body is currently on display at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.
Ever since those early days of the 20th century, the Giant Panda has always been a symbol of conservation. Poaching was a serious problem for the bears, and then habitat loss pushed them to the brink of extinction.
Today, however, one of Toyota's partners in biodiversity, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, has incredible news. The Giant Panda is no longer Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
According to the IUCN, the panda's numbers have been growing steadily in the wild for the past two decades. Today, there are at least 2,000 bears in the wild. It's a great start, but there is still work to be done. Learn how to reduce your carbon footprint, and take a stand against climate change that threatens the panda's future at Chicago Northside Toyota Scion.
