In a region where grim environmental news is common, the giant panda might prove to be the exception. Many decades of human population growth and land conversion have decreased panda numbers—but the Chinese now have both the tools and the plans to turn things around, thanks largely to the perseverance of scientists and conservationists.
China has begun boosting current panda populations and creating new ones by breeding the iconic bears in captivity; they’ve already released a handful into the wild. Zhang Hemin directs the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, which oversees multiple facilities dedicated to the animals’ care and breeding. The operation’s current emphasis “is to release, release, release,” says Zhang, who’s known as Papa Panda for his devotion to the bears. “Now we have to make sure there’s good habitat and then put pandas in it.”
The ultimate hope of panda lovers and preservationists? Not just to put pandas back into the wild, but to put the wild back into pandas.
Photographer Ami Vitale has recently turned her lens to documenting compelling wildlife stories and spent three years documenting these fascinating bears. “Rewilding Pandas” appeared in the August 2016 issue of National Geographic magazine.
Artist Bios
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Ami Vitale
Ami Vitale is a National Geographic Explorer at Large, photographer, writer, documentary filmmaker, and founder of the nonprofit Vital Impacts. Her work illuminates the deep interdependence between people, wildlife, and the natural world, using storytelling to inspire empathy and action.
Over nearly three decades in more than 100 countries, Ami has documented the far-reaching consequences of environmental change. Beginning her career in conflict zones, she witnessed how resource scarcity, displacement, and climate instability shape human lives—experiences that forged her belief that social and environmental challenges cannot be separated.
Today, her work focuses on solutions: stories of resilience, collaboration, and renewal. Through both her own projects and her leadership at Vital Impacts, she is dedicated to supporting emerging voices and advancing a more hopeful, collective future for the planet.
Organizations
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National Geographic
Representing one of the largest brands on social media with over 801 million followers and a billion impressions each month, National Geographic Content’s award-winning and critically acclaimed storytelling inspires fans of all ages to connect with, explore, and care about the world through factual storytelling. National Geographic Content, part of a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the National Geographic Society, reaches up to 402 million households in at least 170 countries and 30 languages across the global National Geographic channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO), National Geographic Documentary Films, and streaming services Disney+ and Hulu, in addition to being a global digital, social, and print publisher. Its diverse content includes Oscar- and BAFTA Award-winning film Free Solo; Oscar-nominated films Sugarcane, Fire of Love, Bobi Wine: The People’s President, and The Cave; Emmy Award-winning franchises Race Against Time and Secrets of; Emmy Award-winning series Animals Up Close and Trafficked With Mariana van Zeller; and Emmy-nominated series A Real Bug’s Life and Tucci in Italy, in addition to multiple National Magazine Awards, Pulitzer Prize finalists, and Webby wins. Visit nationalgeographic.com and natgeotv.com or explore Instagram, Threads, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, and Reddit.
Rewilding Pandas in China
Featuring: Ami Vitale
Curated by: Sadie Quarrier
Locations
View Location Details Download a detailed map of this location Brooklyn Bridge Park – Emily Warren Roebling Plaza1 Water St
Brooklyn, NY 11201
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