Extinction Risks Remain High for Wild Pandas Populations of giant pandas in the wild are more fragmented and isolated than they were 30 years ago and many continue to face a high risk of extinction despite recent gains in the species’ overall numbers, a new study by Chinese and American scientists finds. Climate change, habitat loss and reduced breeding viability — an inherent risk in small, remote populations where potential mates are few — could pose a triple whammy for these animals, the research suggests. Scientists need to find ways to restore connectivity between these populations or introduce new breeding animals into them, the study’s authors say.