(Chinanews.com/Provided by Jilin Provincial Department of Forestry)

Thanks to years of efforts to boost the population of wild animals, the number of wild Siberian tigers returning to their original habitats in northeast China has been on the rise in recent years.

Siberian tigers are one of the world's most endangered species and predominantly live in northeast China and eastern Russia.

(Chinanews.com/Provided by Jilin Provincial Department of Forestry)

Jilin province was the first place in the country to ban illegal poaching of wild animals in 1996. According to the provincial forestry department, a total of 1,836 administrative cases involving wild animals have been reported and over 20,000 private firearms have been confiscated since the ban was enacted. Many of the local farmers who used to live on hunting have become guardians of the tigers.

In 1988, the province kicked off a project to protect natural forest resources. In 2015, the province banned tree-cutting for commercial use in state-owned forests. Thanks to the efforts, the province has witnessed a rise in the population of wild Siberian tigers.

(Chinanews.com/Provided by Jilin Provincial Department of Forestry)

Footprints of wild Siberian tigers were discovered in Jilin province in recent years, according to local forestry authorities.

According to statistics from the provincial forestry department, there are 27 Siberian tigers and 42 wild leopards living in the province.

(Chinanews.com/Provided by Jilin Provincial Department of Forestry)

(Chinanews.com/Provided by Jilin Provincial Department of Forestry)