Guardians of China's tiger and leopard park

Located at the junction of Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park serves as a stable habitat for Amur leopards and Siberian tigers. Hunchun city in Yanbian Korean autonomous prefecture, Jilin, lies in the core area of the park.

Since the launch of its trial phase in August 2017, hundreds of conservationists from the park's Hunchun Management and Conservation Center have been regularly conducting field patrols and scientific monitoring to protect wildlife, and traversing the dense forests to safeguard the park's inhabitants. They are rangers from the center and various protection stations, as well as ecological patrolmen recruited from nearby villages.

"Patrolling mainly involves understanding the conditions in the mountains and forests and recording traces of wildlife activity," said Hao Ruiping, deputy director of the protection department at the center. "Although we now have infrared cameras, to truly understand the situation, we still need to patrol the habitats repeatedly."

The park, in collaboration with relevant technical units, developed a high-tech surveillance system, providing real-time monitoring of wildlife. The system integrates modern communication, artificial intelligence and cloud computing, helping capture images of Siberian tigers and Amur leopards, according to the park.

It also plays an important role in monitoring natural resources, forest fire prevention efforts and human-tiger conflict alerts.

To date, nearly 20,000 wireless infrared cameras have been installed across the 1.4 million-hectare park, covering the main distribution areas of tigers and leopards.

Data from these cameras is transmitted to various management centers, where it is transcoded and processed using neural network technology.

Through an AI algorithm platform, information on various species can be identified and recorded.

Hao, who has worked his way up from a forest farm, is well-acquainted with the growth of vegetation in the forest and the habits of wildlife in the mountains. "In previous years, clearing hunting traps was a major priority in our work, especially in autumn when fallen leaves made them harder to spot," he said.

"In recent years, as villagers' awareness of ecological protection has increased and hunting traps have become increasingly rare, our focus has shifted to maintaining infrared camera equipment and collecting biological samples."

With the establishment of the national park, the number of wild animals in the mountains and forests has increased gradually.

Safety measures

To maximize patrol safety, the park has equipped its patrolmen with the necessary tools.

Before each patrol, they deploy the surveillance system to obtain information on recent wildlife activities in the patrol areas and preplan routes based on data received, enhancing safety. In addition to this, Duan Lianru, an office-based ranger at the center, can easily monitor the real-time status in the area and filter through the system-detected tiger and leopard videos on her computer.

"Leveraging digital technology, the system, via numerous infrared cameras, provides comprehensive coverage of the park," she said. "It enables all-weather, full-area dynamic monitoring."

Duan is also responsible for identifying tigers based on the patterns on their fur and issuing them unique serial numbers — similar to an identity card. "The pattern on each Siberian tiger is as unique as a human fingerprint," she said. "My work is distinguishing different individuals according to the position, length, width, color and shape of the patterns. By accumulating a large amount of material, we can identify individuals and know their distribution areas, food chain and other basic information, which is foundational data for scientific research and protection work," she added.

The system can automatically recognize more than 30 species, with an accuracy rate of over 90 percent for tiger and leopard identification.

In 2025, it captured 4,054 video clips of Siberian tigers and another 8,607 clips of Amur leopards. "Whenever we discover traces of large wild animals like Siberian tigers and Amur leopards in the system, we link the recording location to pinpoint the site," Duan said. "Using the system's built-in tool, we measure the distance to nearby villages and forest farms, and assess the warning level."

After reporting to relevant departments, warning notifications will be sent to village WeChat groups, Duan said. "Via real-time monitoring, we remind villagers to reduce outings and to avoid areas where tigers and leopards have been spotted."

Zhao Yan, deputy director of the scientific research department at the center, said, "In grassroots scientific research, the main advantage is proximity to the site, allowing us to conduct infrared camera maintenance, population density measurement, disease investigation, and tracking of tiger and leopard movements."

Protecting Siberian tigers and Amur leopards is not just about protecting the animals themselves but also safeguarding the entire ecosystem, he said. The recovery of the natural Siberian tiger population requires rich forest vegetation, prey populations, and a good social environment. Only a complete and healthy forest can provide a good environment for the animals.

In addition to research, Zhao actively participates in science popularization activities, such as giving lectures at local schools and taking students on tours around the park. "Telling children about the habits of Siberian tigers and the importance of protecting wildlife is warmly welcomed by the students," he said. "I hope to root wildlife protection in their hearts, allowing them to take up the baton of protection in the future."

The Siberian tiger is the largest existing tiger subspecies, with adult weights reaching up to 300 kilograms. In China, they are mainly distributed in Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces.

Data from the park shows that there are 72 Siberian tigers and 223 Amur leopards living in the area, growing from 27 and 42, respectively, before the establishment of the park.

Han Junhong contributed to this story.