Xu Yanbo (Chinese, B. 1943) "Panda and Koala" Signed lower right. Original Watercolor painting. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. Sadly, Australia's koala and China's giant panda have both faced the possibility of extinction. During the 1920s, hundreds of thousands of koalas were hunted for their pelts. Their numbers were further reduced by an epidemic. Giant pandas, too, have been threatened. Because they eat bamboo almost exclusively, when supplies of this vital food have dwindled, so have panda populations. Fortunately, both China and Australia have come to the aid of their precious icons. The establishment of refuges and the ratification of laws forbidding the hunting and exportation of Australia's koalas have greaty increased this animals' numbers. Since the 1970s, the treasured panda has been aided by Chinese conservationists and members of the World Wildlife Fund. Image Size: 14 x 12 in. Overall Size: 15.5 x 13.5 in. Unframed. (B15153)