All-woman patrol team protects mountain wildlife

HARBIN, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Qiu Shi and her colleagues often spend a dozen hours on patrol in the mountains, with just some bread and sausages to eat. Their daily existence is tough and physically demanding, but fulfilling nonetheless.

They are members of the first all-woman patrol team in the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park. Administered by the forestry and grassland bureau of the city of Dongning, Heilongjiang Province, the team was established in 2019 to help with wildlife protection while providing employment for local women.

Qiu, 36, is the oldest of the six patrol guards, all of whom were born in the 1980s and 1990s. They are in charge of patrolling and protecting Siberian tigers, Amur leopards and other wildlife.

She said that her job has brought her closer to nature, and she is glad of the opportunity to protect wild animals and their habitats.

"Each patrol we conduct in the mountains takes tens of thousands of steps. In summer, the patrollers' clothes become soaked with sweat," said Li Gang, deputy director of Chaoyanggou forest farm in Dongning.

Li said that the team was created to patrol the forest and protect wild animals, and they have now accumulated a great deal of knowledge of the mountain environment in which they operate.

"We observe human footprints, but also the animal tracks. The latter can tell us about the wildlife population in a certain area and their main range of activity," said Qiu.

Team member Bai Xue used to have fair skin, but after a few months of patrolling she became quite tanned. She has followed in the steps of her forest-worker father and now has a better appreciation for his laborious life.

In winter, the temperature in Dongning can dip to minus 20 degrees Celsius. Before heading onto the snow-covered mountain, the members would cheer each other up, shouting, "Let's go! Come on!"

Such exhortations have become a matter of ritual, an expression of the "she power" that drives them on.

Among the team's most important duties, said Bai, is removing traps set by hunters to kill wild animals. At first, she was not able to break the traps. However, with more practice, it became easier, although her hands now bear calluses from the heavy work.

According to Qiu, the animals are like their friends, and the most exciting thing about patrolling the mountains is checking the cameras set up to monitor their movements.

"Every time we see an image of a Siberian tiger sleeping or wandering about leisurely, everyone is exhilarated," she said. "It's like picking up a treasure."

The images collected by the team suggest that the wildlife populations are expanding, said Qiu.

"Our efforts have achieved results," she said, noting that all the data will be provided to experts for studying the migration of Siberian tigers, Amur leopards and other animals.

During their patrols, the team members put down some straw, grains and other food at supplementary feeding points to help out the wildlife. They also rescue injured wild animals wherever they find them.

The work is hard and the days long, but Qiu said she intends to continue in the role, determined to protect the wildlife of this important natural habitat.