Leopards, along with other wild animals, have been frequently spotted in a nature reserve in Jiyuan City, central China's Henan Province in the past six months, articulating the success of local wildlife protection efforts.

Those wild animals were captured by infrared cameras in the Henan Taihang Mountain Macaque National Nature Reserve.
Staff members from the nature reserve discovered that since June, leopards have been passing through a specific location almost every month. Infrared cameras have captured 13 photos and six video clips of leopards.
Additionally, the cameras have also recorded other wildlife, including forest musk deer, brown-eared pheasants, macaques, leopard cats, koklass pheasants and red-bellied pheasants.
"The population of leopards is steadily increasing. Through pattern comparison, it has been confirmed that the number of leopards has reached 9 to 13 individuals. The downstream food chain resources for leopards are abundant. The frequent 'appearances' of leopards has articulated that the ecological environment is improving, with habitats suitable for wildlife expanding significantly," said Ren Yingfeng, staff member of the protection center of the Henan Taihang Mountain Macaque National Nature Reserve.
In recent years, the local area has implemented an integrated approach to the protection and restoration of mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts. A total of 600 hectares of ecological protection and restoration work has been completed, leading to significant improvements in the ecological environment.