Protecting their home brings a deep connection with the animal. This content has been provided under an agreement with the People's Daily of China. It has been produced and published by the People's Daily who take sole responsibility for the content; the New Zealand Herald does necessarily agree with nor endorse any opinions which may be expressed here.
Chen Yuanyu, born in 1995, left her hometown of Xi'an city, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi province, for a rural county situated among the sloping folds of the middle ranges of the Qinling Mountains.
After giving up a job offer to become a programmer upon graduating from university, Chen decided she would rather become a forest keeper in the Foping Nature Reserve.
As the only female on her team, the brave woman has contributed her efforts to the protection of the ecosystem of China's northernmost habitat for the giant panda.
Chen has put her power and strength on full display, carrying out daily patrols and going all out to do her part to preserve the mountains and rivers that the giant pandas in the area call home.
As the only woman on the team, Chen encountered some difficulties that she had to overcome, including when having to cross mighty rivers during her team's daily trek.
Chen's job involves patrols of the forest at least once every two days, which also involves searching for and recording any wildlife tracks, in addition to accessing, cleaning and maintaining infrared cameras set up along their route, while capturing photos and conducting natural resource surveys.
The information about the date, weather, and number of animals, species, and potential pests, as well as on different geographic features and locations, also need to be collected.
Among the four protection stations, Chen chose the most secluded one for the sake of its surrounding environment, which also requires an 8-kilometer hike to access in comparison to those sites able to be reached by vehicles.
Seeking to gain the encouragement and support of her next of kin, Chen invited her father several times to come have a first-hand look at her daily life on a weekend excursion.
Fresh air, clear waters, lush mountains, overflowing herbs, amazing wildlife, and even traces of giant pandas roaming off in the near distance, revealed the profound magnetism of the Qinling Mountains to Chen's father during their long walk together on the mountainside.
Her father burst into tears at the end, having completed the long journey alongside his daughter. "Dad, you've walked together with me, and you like it here, right? I don't feel tired, because I like here," Chen remarked.
In fact, the tears proved to be the most apt expression of a father being overwhelmed by his daughter's passion and zest for life. A youthful woman in her twenties feels inclined to leave the big city, leaving her family and friends behind, all in order to head towards the remote mountainside to play a small part in the conservation and protection of nature, while safeguarding the giant panda's habitat, this is surely a remarkable story for anyone to behold.
"The most captivating part about my job is when coming across giant pandas, golden snub-nosed monkeys, and various plants and herbs," Chen said. The forest keeper felt as if she had developed a deep connection with the giant pandas.
One day, she was all alone on a familiar path that was only about a meter wide, passing through a bamboo forest. She recalled a sudden remarkable encounter unlike any other she previously had while trekking through the forest canopy.
"When I turned my head to look back, I saw a panda lying there. At that moment, I was just totally stunned." They were so close to each other, that Chen even forgot to raise her camera to capture a photo as a memento.
The funny thing is that the panda bear, named Yimao, didn't even notice Chen in the first place. Then, it suddenly raised its head and caught a glimpse of her.
After looking at each other for about 10 seconds, Yimao turned back before ambling deep into the forest.
Yimao, also nicknamed "Maomao" by other forest keepers, is a gentle animal friend already familiar with locals and acquinted with an older panda also living in the area. So luckily, the panda was already accustomed to the sights and smells of human beings.
This encounter gave Chen a deeper understanding of the meaning of serving in the role of a forest keeper. She left with a fresh outlook and an even firmer frame of mind to continue protecting the mountain forests home to more than 300 giant pandas.
Today, the Foping National Nature Reserve alone has become the home to 1271 species of seed plants, 338 species (subspecies) of vertebrates, and 1353 species of insects.
Why is protecting the Qinling Mountains so crucial? The Qinling Mountains are a treasure trove in all facets. Chen believes that if it was gone, the whole country, and even the whole world, would suffer from a huge loss.
It's okay to embrace the silence of a forest today, and it's okay to accept the absence of soils and water sources tomorrow, but how could the animals, plants, and local residents survive the day after tomorrow after losing what their lives rely on?
As Chen said:"Protecting the Qinling Mountains is to protect humans themselves. Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets."