Interest in endangered wild cats surges

A photo of five Chinese mountain cats that Kong showed to Xi was taken in July during a survey conducted by the management office and researchers from Peking University. It showed a mother cat and her four offspring playing on a mountain.

"For felines that usually give birth to two or three babies at once, such a big family is very rare and precious for the study of this cat," said Gao Yayue, who is in charge of the management office's wildlife observation work.

The other photo, showing a five-member snow leopard family, was taken in the park's Qinghai section in May 2018.

The snow leopard is a Class A protected animal in China. It is estimated that about 2,000 live in Qinghai, Sichuan and Gansu provinces and the Xinjiang Uygur and Tibet autonomous regions.

The park management office has been observing its snow leopards since 2017, with more than 1,100 cameras covering 5,000 sq km. They have captured more than 3,000 photos and videos of the rare species.

Apart from the two cats, Kong said the park has seen increasing numbers of other State-protected wild animals in recent years thanks to environmental protection efforts.

In December, seven alpine musk deer, classified as "endangered" on the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species, were spotted in the park.

In February, a herd of nearly 100 wild red deer under State protection was seen by park rangers.

Zhang said the frequent sightings of wild animals in the park are an indication of an improved environment.

"China has been continuously strengthening wildlife protection efforts in recent years," he said. "Protected regions have seen their ecosystems and biodiversity improved. That's the real action that China has taken to promote a green development path."