Wildlife has friends in high places

In May, as the Changtang National Nature Reserve remains veiled under a blanket of snow and ice, wildlife begins to stir.

The reserve, in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region, witnesses a surge in activity, prompting dedicated conservationists and wildlife rangers to spring into action across the area's protection stations.

Rangers of the Norbu Yugyel wildlife protection team in Nyima county, Nagchu, embarked on a concentrated two-week patrol on May 7 of the core area spanning more than 30,000 square kilometers within the reserve.

Named after a heroic ranger who died in a fight against poaching, the station is among the 73 wildlife protection stations established at the reserve since 2015.

Braving the harsh weather conditions year-round and traversing uninhabited regions to safeguard the area, the rangers guard the main road leading to the no man's land of Changtang.

Situated in the northern part of Xizang, the reserve has no human inhabitants in its core area, and serves as a sanctuary for a unique high-altitude ecosystem and a variety of large hoofed animals.