The giant panda was once widespread throughout southern and eastern China ... As well as being fantastically rich in natural resources, the mountains also boast a long human history, dating back ...

it’s the only recognized giant panda subspecies. There are only about 200 to 300 Qinling pandas living in the wild. If that sounds dangerously low, there were barely a hundred just two decades ago.

Set apart from their black-and-white counterparts, the animals are extremely rare; just seven have been documented since the subspecies was ... the genomes of 35 giant pandas.