In 2018, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said there were 1,012, far fewer than the giant panda.

According to the institute, the reserve's researchers will constantly monitor Beibei's condition.

"The release was an important step and will provide data and experience for the artificial breeding of the species, or even other species in need," Hao said.

Last month, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration and the ministry jointly released a new version of the List of Wild Animals under State Priority Conservation, which provided the first major update for 32 years.

The new list covers an additional 517 wild animals. It also reassigns some critically endangered wild animals to the top level of conservation, such as the finless porpoise and the Chinese pangolin－a mammal that has witnessed a dramatic population decline in recent decades due to poaching and is estimated to number just a few dozen in China.

"The new list came in desperate times. Species whose protection level has been upgraded will see strict supervision in terms of law enforcement, management and exploitation, while newly added animals will also gain better protection," said Wu Shibao, a zoology and ecology professor at South China Normal University in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.