Saving the giant panda from extinction is a conservation success story. The panda is the symbol for endangered species and is the WWF logo. An international conservation union removed it from the endangered species list in 2016. It is still "vulnerable". Conservationists fear the panda's success has come at a cost to other mammals sharing its habitat. A study found that many animals have disappeared from areas where the panda lives.
A researcher was happy the panda is safer. However, he is sad some of China's carnivorous mammals are now at risk. Since panda conservation started in the 1960s, Asian wild dogs have disappeared from 95% of protected areas, wolves from 77%, and snow leopards from 38%. However, the research findings recognised "the power of the giant panda as an umbrella that has effectively sheltered many other species".