Towering Shennongjia, with over 1,000 square kilometers of mountain forests and tens of thousands of biological species, is safeguarded day and night by more than 1,900 forest rangers ensuring its tranquility. They measure the green mountains and forests with their feet, protect the greenery with their lives, and accompany all living things as they grow with the passage of time. It is these ordinary yet resilient figures who have built the safety barrier for Shennongjia, a Natural World Heritage site. Among these guardians is a father and son pair who walk together through the dense woods, protecting this expanse of green.
On the evening of May 9, moonlight quietly filtered through the forest canopy, casting an almost mystical glow over the vast wilderness of Shennongjia. A four-member team—Kevin Messenger, an American professor at Nanjing Forestry University, along with Li Yecheng, Wang Qi and Benjamin Genter (or “Ben” for short)—set out from Yichang for a night survey along the Jiuchong-Songbai Road. Their eyes scanned every ditch and every pile of fallen leaves, like seasoned hunters in search of elusive prey.
Recently, a thrilling wildlife rescue took place at the Dajiuhu Scenic Area in Shennongjia, Hubei Province. A Chinese goral (Naemorhedus griseus)—a Class II nationally protected endangered wild animal—became stranded on a narrow ledge of a steep cliff near the Dajiuhu Tourist Service Center during its search for food. It was trapped for an entire day and night before being successfully rescued through a joint effort and safely returned to the wild.