The return of wildlife

Jilin has tigers and leopards in the east, sika deer in the center and white cranes to the west. It has 41 natural reserves of all kinds, and national natural reserves of big animals of the family Felidae alone reach five in number. Amur leopards, as the rarest of the big cat family, keep growing in Jilin which is also home to 27 Amur tigers and 42 leopards, a significant achievement in terms of the protection of wildlife relative to the situation at the close of the last century - having only six tigers and three leopards.

Take Jilin Momoge National Nature Reserve for example, as many as 3,809 white cranes were monitored in 2012, accounting for more than 90 percent of the world population of such species. Other species such as like Siberian chevrotains or mouse-deer, sika deer, black bears and boars grow significantly in number too.

Wild geese in western Jilin.

Migrating birds in Jingxin wetland, Hunchun.

"Jilin will make greater efforts for ecological protection," Lan Hongliang, director-general of the Forestry Department of Jilin Province said. "Jilin has issued a ban on all lumbering activities for commercial purposes in state-owned forest regions to protect the habitats of endangered species such as wild Amur tigers and leopards. It will build at least three new natural reserves for tigers."

Jilin has made multidimensional efforts to protect wildlife, such as setting up infrared high-definition photographic and image pick-up devices to monitor wildlife; strengthening the protection of Amur tigers and leopards along the border between China and Russia to ensure free migration of big wild animals and working with Chinese frontier guards in natural reserves close to the border.

Strictly cracking down upon poaching is another priority of the work of wildlife protection in Jilin.

Xie Zhongyan, director of the Changbai Mountains Management Committee, said: "The reserve has 'zero tolerance' against poaching, and will strictly punish poachers".