Yuan Guangming (R) and a colleague carry out a patrol mission in the Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Qinghai Province, Dec. 1, 2016. For more than a decade, Yuan Guangming has dedicated himself to the protection of Tibetan antelopes and other wild animals in the Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve. Working on the Hoh Xil forest police ranger division which has over 40 members, Yuan and his colleagues are responsible for patrol missions in the Hoh Xil reserve, an area that covers 45,000 square kilometers and encompasses China's largest area of uninhabited land, with an average altitude of more than 4,600 meters. It is home to several endangered species, including the Tibetan antelope, Tibetan gazelle and wild yak. The reserve's plateau climate poses both physical and mental challenges to the rangers, but Yuan thinks their efforts are worthwhile. The Tibetan antelope population in Hoh Xil has resurged above 70,000 after decades of crackdown on poaching. "Our happiest moment is seeing Tibetan antelopes grazing and galloping freely in Hoh Xil," Yuan says. "As far as I remember, there hasn't been a single poaching gunshot in the nature reserve since 2006." (Xinhua/Wu Gang)
