Golden Leopards Return to Taihang Mountains: Stunning Ultra-High Definition Footage Released
Dahe Daily · Dahe Client Reporter Li Yan, Cui Feng, Correspondents Shang Hai Dong
Spring blossoms, the golden leopard who frequently appeared in the Taihang Mountains of Jiyuan many times, has reappeared! On March 9th, the Forestry Bureau of Jiyuan Integrated Development Demonstration Zone officially released the results of biodiversity monitoring in the Taihangshan National Nature Reserve, attracting much attention.
According to the release, from late 2019 to February 2020, the Taihangshan National Nature Reserve in Jiyuan utilized infrared cameras to capture precious footage of the national key protected animal – the Chinese leopard, 42 times. Monitoring was also conducted in multiple monitoring plots within the reserve to observe the Chinese leopard.
▼ Infrared camera footage of the Chinese leopard
Since January 2015, the Taihangshan National Nature Reserve in Jiyuan has launched wild animal infrared camera monitoring, the 'appearance rate' of the Chinese leopard has steadily increased. The number of Chinese leopards monitored has increased year by year, and the distribution range of the Chinese leopard in the Jiyuan Taihang Mountains has shown significant recovery.
▼ Infrared camera footage of the Chinese leopard
The Jiyuan Taihangshan Chinese leopard has been identified with no less than 6 individuals through infrared camera footage, including 'couple leopard' and 'mother and child leopard', indicating that the Chinese leopard population structure in the reserve is reasonable.
In addition, the infrared cameras also recorded national level protected animals such as the Pallas's Cat, the Yellow-throated Canary, Red-bellied Pardalote, Woodcock, Black-hooded Gull-Hawk, and other key protected wild animals.
Infrared camera footage of the Chinese leopard
The relevant persons in charge of the Jiyuan Forestry Bureau stated that the appearance of the Chinese leopard in multiple sample plots in the Taihang Mountains represents close interaction between the Chinese leopard population in Jiyuan and the Chinese leopard population in other areas of the Taihang Mountains, and is in a state of diffusion. This is of great significance to the health and recovery of the Chinese leopard population in the Taihangshan Nature Reserve. It also proves that with the continuous strengthening of ecological protection and the implementation of the Henan South Taihangshan Water-Forest-Land-Lake-Grass Ecological Restoration Project, the ecological environment in the Jiyuan Taihang Mountains is stable and healthy.
Infrared camera footage of the Chinese leopard
In the future, Jiyuan will further strengthen wild animal management, completely prohibit the trading of wild animals, crack down on illegal hunting and poaching of wild animals, strictly implement wild animal epidemic and disease monitoring, strengthen wild animal patrol efforts, enhance habitat protection, and allow the beautiful Chinese leopard, which only exists in China, to thrive and multiply in the Taihang Mountains.
