[Explanation] The reporter recently learned from Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province that after a year-long infrared camera monitoring by the Laoshan State-owned Forest Administration Bureau of Yan'an City and the Wildlife Protection Research Team of Yan'an University, in March and November 2022, there were two The activity traces of adult North China leopards were photographed in Ganquan County of the city.
This is the first time the scientific research team has discovered the North China leopard in this area.
[Concurrent] Zhu Mengyan, head of the wildlife protection research team at Yan'an University
Through our analysis of videos and photos, this time we detected an adult and healthy North China leopard individual, indicating an improvement in the quality of the ecological environment in the entire northern Shaanxi region.
At the same time, the emergence of top predators shows the perfection of the food chain in the ecosystem, a perfection of the ecosystem.
[Explanation] According to the researchers, the North China leopard is a subspecies of the leopard. This subspecies is a specialty of China, so it is also called the Chinese leopard.
From the analysis of the two monitoring screens, it can be clearly observed that the North China leopard has a strong body and looks very healthy.
The North China leopard has been extinct in Ganquan County for many years.
In recent years, with the implementation of ecological projects such as returning farmland to forests and natural forest protection, the forest and grass coverage rate in Ganquan County has reached 87%, and the North China leopard has also appeared again.
[Concurrent] Zhu Mengyan, head of the wildlife protection research team at Yan'an University
The North China leopard distributed in Ganquan is the northernmost distribution of the North China leopard in Shaanxi Province that has been reported.
[Explanation] The reporter learned from the local area that in addition to the North China leopard, a total of 188 species of 27 orders, 59 families and 188 species were found in Ganquan County.
Among them, there are 4 species of wild animals under national first-level protection, 16 species of wild animals under national second-level protection, and 73 species of wild animals under provincial and other key protection.
[Concurrent] Li Weiqiang, Chief of the Comprehensive Management Section of the Protected Area of the Laoshan State-owned Forest Administration Bureau, Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province
In the next step, we will carry out normalized monitoring of the North China leopard population, optimize monitoring points, increase monitoring efforts, improve forest quality, and continuously improve biodiversity. We will strengthen cooperation with the wildlife protection research team of Yan'an University to further scientifically explore the Laoshan jurisdiction The living conditions of wild animals contribute to the restoration of ecosystems.
Dang Tianye Li Yifan Baiteng reported from Xi'an
Responsible editor: [Luo Pan]