More rare animals discovered in SW China

CHENGDU, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- A total of 142 animal species under second-class state protection or above were registered in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of southwest China's Sichuan Province in 2021, local authorities said.

As the ecological barrier of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, the two longest rivers in China, the prefecture saw the number of animal species under second-class and first-class state protection increase by 66.

Since 2020, a number of rare animals including glossy ibis -- rare birds once thought extinct in China -- have been spotted in the prefecture.

Among them, 28 were discovered in the prefecture for the first time, said Gong Zhiqiang of the local forestry and grassland bureau.