Rangers devote their lives to guarding panda homeland

LANZHOU - He Min has patrolled the giant panda habitat of Baishuijiang National Reserve in Gansu province for 16 years, but he has only had one encounter with a wild animal.

Covering nearly 184,000 hectares of mountain forest, Baishuijiang, which is China's largest giant panda habitat, is home to more than 110 wild giant pandas, 10 percent of the country's total.

The 38-year-old man is adept at walking on steep and slippery hillsides, where he observes and records signs of wild giant pandas. He also reports poaching activities and fire risks, and earns a monthly salary of 3,700 yuan ($540).