Hunchun native finds in wildlife conservation

Li Dongwei had developed a lifelong love affair with mountains. So the 29-year-old made a vow in August 2012 to join a wild animal protection volunteer group in Hunchun city, Jilin province.

"I volunteer in glorious wildlife conservation," Li said. "I promise that my fate will be connected with nature, and to do what I do without remuneration. I will practice the spirit of volunteering, protect clear water and green mountains, and build an ecological home."

Growing up in a mountainous village in Hunchun, Li has had a strong affection for mountains. In November 2012, he officially began his volunteer work as a ranger assisting the city's forestry bureau. A month later, Li was promoted to head of one of the bureau's forest ranger teams thanks to his outstanding performance.

Li's team is mainly in charge of routine patrols and removing traps placed to catch wild animals at a 2,000-square-kilometer mountainous area neighboring the Hunchun Siberian tiger nature reserve. Walking an average of 10 km every day, the team's main duty is to set up infrared cameras for wildlife surveillance in spring and autumn, conduct camera maintenance during summer, and fight against illegal hunting during the winter.

Over the past decade, Li has walked the area countless times, leading his team to clean away more than 13,000 hunting tools such as steel traps and wire snares. The team has also seized eight illegal hunters.

Hunchun carried out the infrared camera monitoring project in early 2013. Through hard work and a short period of study with Russian experts, Li set up 20 infrared cameras in 10 locations in May that year and successfully captured the images of an adult Siberian tiger.

"I was very excited because it was the first time I had to set up cameras," he said.

Li has had a few memorable brushes with danger over the years.

"The most dangerous one was passing by a lactating Siberian tiger. I couldn't dare to think about what would happen if I left the camera five minutes later that day," he said.

During a weekend in October 2013, Li received a phone call from a forest frog farmer saying that a tiger appeared near his farm last night. Excited by the news, Li immediately called his team members but could not reach any of them.

Li said he could never give up on this great opportunity and decided to go there alone. After hours of walking, tracking footprints, measuring and observing, he found a satisfying location for setting up a camera. When he got home, it was already 8 pm.

A month and a half later, the camera successfully recorded 12 videos, seven of which included the images of a lactating Siberian tiger. However, a video also showed that the tiger chased the camera by following Li's smell less than five minutes after he left.

Tigers are most likely to attack humans when they are nursing or injured. Li said he still remembered his fear when seeing the video, even several years later. The good news is that this mother tiger has given birth to three cubs, all of which are quite healthy.

From an ordinary farmer to a professional forest ranger, Li has recruited more than 400 volunteers from other provinces through the internet.

He and his team have also won many prizes and honorary titles, such as advanced individuals and excellent rangers for infrared camera monitoring awarded by World Wildlife Fund.

They've also won the championship of Siberian tiger habitat ranger competitions.

In 2017, China launched a pilot national park project for Siberian tigers and Amur leopards－two species noted as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species. It has also put forward the most stringent protection requirements for wildlife in the park.