Heavy snowfall since winter began has blanketed Fukang City’s natural forests—snow depths exceeding 50 cm hinder wild animals’ foraging. To help, the Fukang State-owned Forest Administration is providing winter forage to red deer and roe deer in the area.

Wildlife rescue workers from Fukang State-owned Forest Administration distribute feed. Photo by Li Yongxu

On January 20, rescuers from the Fukang State-owned Forest Administration’s Wildlife Rescue Section delivered 3 tons of feed to three key wildlife areas—Baiyanggou in Tianshan Tianchi, Haibei Management and Protection Station, and Guodikeng—to help animals survive winter.

Mamat Madetuerti, station master at Fukang’s Sangong Management Station, said: “We provide scientifically formulated supplemental feed for red deer and roe deer—enough to support them, but not enough to cause dependency.”

Tianshan wapitis grazing at the feeding site. Photo by Li Yongxu

The Fukang State-owned Forest Administration deployed 88 infrared cameras to monitor wildlife, identifying activity patterns and core habitats of key species—including the nationally protected Tianshan red deer and roe deer. Ten feeding stations were established, with supplementary feed delivered every two weeks. This year, 6 tons of scientifically formulated feed (e.g., alfalfa and corn stalks) will be provided—balanced for protein and fiber to support winter metabolism, ensure palatability, and avoid overdependence.

As a typical ecological representative of the arid and semi - arid regions in the hinterland of the Eurasian continent, the Tianchi Bogda Peak Nature Reserve in Xinjiang serves as an "ark of life" for numerous rare species. As of the present, a total of 203 species of wild vertebrates have been identified in the Tianchi Bogda Peak Nature Reserve in Xinjiang, among which 40 species are wild animals under national key protection.

Ma Tao, head of the Wildlife Rescue Section at Fukang State-owned Forest Administration, said: “Wildlife protection is a systematic effort. We combine scientific monitoring with ecological restoration, strengthen daily patrols, and build an intelligent biodiversity protection network to foster lasting human–nature harmony.”

To continuously consolidate the protection achievements, the Fukang State-owned Forest Administration will further establish and improve a closed-loop working mechanism of "monitoring - forage distribution - patrolling - supplementary feeding". It will dynamically track the consumption of forage, changes in the habitat environment, and potential safety hazards, and timely adjust the supplementary feeding plan in combination with temperature fluctuations and snow depth. Meanwhile, it will simultaneously promote the rescue and treatment of wild animals, comprehensively maintain the balance of the ecosystem, and safeguard the natural home where all things coexist in harmony.

(Reporter Li Yongxu from the Media Convergence Center of Fukang City)