Today, the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is one of the best known and most popular large mammals among the general public. Although its existence was known long ago, having been mentioned in a 2,500-year-old Chinese geography text, Europeans did not learn of its existence until its discovery by a French missionary in 1869. The first living giant panda did not reach the Western Hemisphere until 1937. The giant panda, variously classified with the true bears or, often, in a family of its own, once ranged throughout much of China and Burma, but is now restricted to a series of 13 wildlife reserves totaling just over 2,200 mi² (5,700 km²) in three central and western Chinese provinces. The giant panda population has been decimated over the past 2,000 years by hunting and habitat destruction. In the years since 1987, they have lost more than 30% of their habitat. Giant pandas are one of the rarest...