Ya'an City, famous for its panda habitats, saw its wild panda population grow 31.27 percent from 259 to 340 in the 10 years to the end of 2013, local authorities said.

 

The size of the panda habitats in Ya'an of Sichuan Province increased 13.58 percent to 548,000 hectares during the period. That accounts for 38 percent of the city's total area.

 

The data was obtained by a survey conducted by Ya'an from the start of 2011 to the end of 2013, as part of China's fourth decennial panda census. The third census lasted from 1999 to2003.

 

The panda population grew despite the fact that Ya'an's Lushan County was hit by a deadly 7.0-magnitude earthquake in April 2013. The quake and mudslides triggered by it damaged about 16,600 hectares of panda habitat, according to the local forestry bureau.

 

Reconstruction of the habitat has been carried out smoothly during the past two years. Locals see wild pandas more frequently than before the quake, said officials with the bureau.

 

As of the end of 2013, there were 1,864 giant pandas living in the wild in China, an increase of 268, or 16.8 percent, from 2003, according to the State Forestry Administration. 

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