The Giant Panda is no longer an endangered species following decades of rescue efforts, conservationists have confirmed.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature, which keeps track of threatened species across the world, said it was reclassifying the animal as only ‘vulnerable.’

Panda populations have grown as a result of Chinese government efforts to protect their habitat and re-establish forests.

Over the past decade numbers have risen by nearly 17 per cent in the wild and there are now around 2,000 outside of captivity.