--- title: China's Wild Great Panda Population Grows description: The population has grown by 268 despite many obstacles canonical: https://time.com/3727258/wild-panda-china-census/ author: Daniel D'Addario article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-02-28T14:43:59.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:05:19.798Z article:section: Science og:title: Giant Pandas Make a Comeback in the Wild in China og:description: The population has grown by 268 despite many obstacles og:url: https://time.com/3727258/wild-panda-china-census/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte9f660ba65afa847/6987818a3c163949da45204a/panda-cub.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Mother giant panda Juxiao is seen with one of her triplets at Chimelong Safari Park in Guangzhou, Guangdong province og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Giant Pandas Make a Comeback in the Wild in China twitter:description: The population has grown by 268 despite many obstacles twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte9f660ba65afa847/6987818a3c163949da45204a/panda-cub.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Wild Giant Pandas Making a Comeback in China > Sponsored content. 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Reuters  by [Daniel D'Addario](https://time.com/author/daniel-daddario/)  ## Daniel D'Addario Feb 28, 2015 2:43 PM UTC The Chinese government has some good news for panda lovers. A new survey by China’s State Forestry Administration indicates that [the wild giant panda population has grown](http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/panda-news-chinas-latest-survey-finds-wild-population-grows-n314706) to 1,864, representing an increase of 268 pandas since 2003\. The number of giant pandas in captivity also doubled. The census, which took some three years to complete, reflects the country’s commitment to protecting an animal with a lot of obstacles against it: Pandas are slow to reproduce and historically have been a target for poachers, and, per the census, now have 832 miles of roads running through their habitats. China’s 27 preserves for pandas account for the growth. \[[_NBC News_](http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/panda-news-chinas-latest-survey-finds-wild-population-grows-n314706)\] ### What Life Is Like for America’s Most Famous Panda Cub  Abby Wood—Smithsonian's National Zoo  Abby Wood—Smithsonian's National Zoo  Abby Wood—Smithsonian's National Zoo  Abby Wood—Smithsonian's National Zoo  Abby Wood—Smithsonian's National Zoo  Bao Bao, the Giant Panda cub is seen by the media for the first time January 6, 2014 inside his glass enclosure at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, DC, a few days before going on display to the general public. Bao Bao was born at the Smithsonian's National Zoo August 2, 2013\. AFP Photo/Paul J. Richards (Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images) Paul J. Richards—AFP/Getty Images  Matt McClain—The Washington Post/Getty Images  Bao Bao, the Giant Panda cub is seen by the media for the first time January 6, 2014 inside his glass enclosure at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, DC, a few days before going on display to the general public. Bao Bao was born at the Smithsonian's National Zoo August 2, 2013\. AFP Photo/Paul J. Richards (Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images) Paul J. Richards—AFP/Getty Images  Matt McClain—The Washington Post/Getty Images  Connor Mallon—Smithsonian's National Zoo  Courtney Janney—Smithsonian's National Zoo  Abby Wood—Smithsonian's National Zoo  Abby Wood—Smithsonian's National Zoo  Abby Wood—Smithsonian's National Zoo ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3727258/wild-panda-china-census/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3727258/wild-panda-china-census/"},"headline":"Wild Giant Pandas Making a Comeback in China","datePublished":"2015-02-28T14:43:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:05:19.798Z","description":"The population has grown by 268 despite many obstacles","url":"https://time.com/3727258/wild-panda-china-census/","keywords":["animals","China","World","pandas"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte9f660ba65afa847/6987818a3c163949da45204a/panda-cub.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Daniel D'Addario","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/daniel-daddario/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte9f660ba65afa847/6987818a3c163949da45204a/panda-cub.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Mother giant panda Juxiao is seen with one of her triplets at Chimelong Safari Park in Guangzhou, Guangdong province","caption":"Mother giant panda Juxiao is seen with one of her triplets at Chimelong Safari Park in Guangzhou, Guangdong province","creditText":"Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/animals/","name":"animals"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3727258/wild-panda-china-census/","name":"Wild Giant Pandas Making a Comeback in China"}}]}] ```