Forest flourishes after villagers are relocated

Shao Dongsheng, a ranger in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, still remembers the fear he felt the first time he encountered a leopard.

"It was on the hillside only 30 meters away. I stood still because I was too afraid to move. It looked at me, turned, and left," he said.

Such encounters are not uncommon for Shao and his fellow rangers in the mountains of Longde county. Leopards, wolves and deer are often seen roaming the hillsides.