Steppe polecat family steals the show in Xinjiang mountains

A photographer recently captured a heartwarming moment in the Jiayier Mountains of Tuoli county, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region—a steppe polecat family out for a stroll, with playful babies frolicking and darting about under their mother's watchful eye.

The steppe polecat, a wild animal of significant ecological, scientific and social value, is also a skilled mouser, benefiting farming, forestry, animal husbandry and public health.

Xia Lusheng and Wang Xudong contributed to this story.