Rare wild animals like dholes, snow leopards and blue sheep have been frequently captured by infrared cameras in Yanchiwan National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Gansu Province, underscoring the area's rich and intact ecosystem.
The highly social dholes were caught moving in packs of several to more than a dozen.
Dholes and snow leopards are under the first-class state protection in China, while blue sheep are under the second-class state protection.
The Yanchiwan National Nature Reserve, featuring bare rocks and meadows, serves as an important habitat for many rare wild animals.
Rare animals spotted in Gansu reserve
A wild Asian elephant wandered into a temporary border checkpoint in southwest China's Yunnan Province in the early hours of Friday, prompting police and auxiliary officers to evacuate to safety before the animal calmly left without causing damage.
The elephant approached the checkpoint in Jiangcheng Hani and Yi Autonomous County of Pu'er, bypassed barriers and traffic cones, and eventually walked away peacefully.
Officers followed established procedures, withdrawing to safe areas and ensuring no disturbance to the elephant, personnel or facilities.
The county, located at the junction of China, Laos and Vietnam, is a key habitat for wild Asian elephants. Local checkpoints often see elephants "drop by," and officers have developed a routine response when facing such an elephant encounter.
Upon receiving alerts or spotting elephant activity, officers are expected to immediately clear the area, close access routes, and monitor the animals until they depart, before swiftly restoring order.
Wild Asian elephant strolls into border checkpoint in Yunnan
