Hunter becomes forest ranger to conserve wildlife

In the summer of 2012, he received a call from the Huangnihe Forestry Bureau, inviting him to help some teachers and students from the College of Wildlife Conservation at Beijing Normal University set up infrared cameras in the forests.

"Because of my hunting experience, I needed only two days guiding them to set all their infrared cameras in locations where wild animals were most likely to visit," he said. "During that time, the teachers and students passed along a lot of knowledge about wildlife conservation, giving me the idea of joining them."

Since then, he has participated in various conservation activities as a volunteer, applying his rich wildlife knowledge and experience.

In October 2016, he accepted the invitation to become a forest ranger to help conserve wildlife in the reserve. Walking an average of 15 kilometers through the forests every day, his main duty is to find and record the tracks of endangered wild animals and to remove traps left by humans.

"We usually set out at 7 am and return at around 4 pm," he said. "It is so cold in the northeastern winter that we are forced to eat lunch in the car."

Rangers also shoulder the tasks of implementing anti-hunting measures and raising public awareness of wildlife conservation.

"In our spare time, we often visit different forest farms and villages to share our knowledge of wildlife conservation and discourage illegal hunting," he said. "Wildlife conservation requires joint efforts from the whole society."

"Most members of our patrol team are young people who lack experience in the forest," Wan said. "I would like to pass my experience to the next generation."