<P> Due to CITES, this zoo harvest has decreased substantially in recent years, but poaching continues, and red pandas are often sold to private collectors at exorbitant prices . In some parts of Nepal and India, red pandas are kept as pets . </P> <P> The red panda has a naturally low birth rate (usually one single or twin birth per year), and a high death rate in the wild . </P> <P> The red panda is listed in CITES Appendix I . The species has been classified as endangered in the IUCN Red List since 2008 because the global population is estimated at about 10,000 individuals, with a decreasing population trend; only about half of the total area of potential habitat of 142,000 km (55,000 sq mi) is actually being used by the species . Due to their shy and secretive nature, and their largely nocturnal habits, observation of red pandas is difficult . Therefore, population figures in the wild are determined by population density estimates and not direct counts . </P> <P> Worldwide population estimates range from fewer than 2,500 to between 16,000 and 20,000 individuals . In 1999, the total population in China was estimated at between 3,000 and 7,000 individuals . In 2001, the wild population in India was estimated at between 5,000 and 6,000 individuals . Estimates for Nepal indicate only a few hundred individuals . No records from Bhutan or Burma exist . </P>

When did the red panda first become endangered