Rescue, protection efforts boost wildlife diversity in NW China's Qilian Mountains

XINING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- For Ma Cunxin, rescuing injured wild animals is a tough task, but the real challenge lies in releasing them back into the wild.

"Releasing the rescued wild animals into the wild represents the success of our rescue efforts, but it also means that we will face new uncertainties of whether they will survive in nature," said Ma, head of the Wildlife Rehabilitation and Breeding Station at the Qinghai section of Qilian Mountains National Park.

Straddling the border between northwest China's Gansu and Qinghai provinces, the Qilian Mountains are a key ecological shield in western China.

Over the last three years, Ma has followed the same routine -- admitting injured animals, conducting medical examinations, creating detailed records and devising treatment plans tailored to each case.

Ma still winces when recalling the treatment of a desert cat in the winter of 2023. One night, the cat had entered a farmer's home in Menyuan County and killed dozens of chickens.

Because of the darkness, the villager failed to recognize the species and accidentally injured it. After realizing it was a desert cat, he reported the incident to local authorities and transported the animal to the station, nearly 100 km away.

Listed as a national first-class protected animal in China, desert cats are a precious feline species of great importance to ecological diversity.

"It doesn't eat butchered meat like beef or mutton, but only consumes animals with fur," Ma said. After two months of treatment and rehabilitation, the desert cat was successfully released into the wild.

What touches Ma the most is seeing more and more villagers taking action to protect wild animals. "This shows that our efforts to raise awareness about wildlife conservation are paying off," he said.

This growing awareness is now translating into tangible ecological recovery. For example, the desert cat was considered highly elusive before 2019 due to limited documentation. However, a targeted survey over the past three years has estimated its population at approximately 300 to 500 in the Qinghai section of Qilian Mountains National Park.

To improve survival rates after release, the station has allocated 400 mu (about 26.67 hectares) of alpine grassland as a training base, enabling the animals to relearn hunting, risk avoidance, and to stimulate their innate wild instincts and survival skills.

Protecting the inherent instincts of animals and enabling their return to nature is the ultimate goal of rescue efforts, according to Ma.

Stories like these are a regular occurrence at the station. Since 2022, it has been operating year-round and has admitted 211 injured animals across 36 species. Of these, more than two-thirds are classified as first or second-level nationally protected wildlife in China, including snow leopards and black-necked cranes.

For Ma, the job is not only highly professional but also demands patience and compassion. The station employs 12 technicians, including Ma, most of whom hold bachelor's degrees or higher in zoology, veterinary medicine, biology, or related fields.

Before releasing the rescued animals into the wild, Ma and his colleagues will equip them with tracking devices to monitor their movements and survival status.

In 2023, by analyzing data from trackers, they deepened their understanding of the life habits of desert rabbits, filling a critical knowledge gap about the species.

The conservation ethos now permeates nearby communities, schools and beyond. Tashi Tsering, 53, once a local herder, now works as an animal keeper at the station after leasing his pasture to the station.

With the station now open to tourists, Ma said they have a responsibility to educate the public about the vital role wildlife plays in the ecosystem.

"One individual can influence a family, and more families will influence the entire society," he told a group of visiting students.

"Each rescued wild animal carries an important ecological message," Ma said, adding that the greater the diversity of wildlife populations, the more stable the local ecosystem becomes. ■