Li Wenyong, 53, is a forest officer at the National Park in Hainan Province. His job is to find and observe Hainan gibbons (长臂猿), and record their latest situation with a camera and a pen.
Hainan gibbons live in rainforest trees over 10 meters high, seldom on the ground. In the 1950s, the Hainan gibbon population was over 2,000. However, local villagers began to open up land in the mountains. Gibbons lost their home. In the 1980s, the number of Hainan gibbons was just about seven.
In order to protect Hainan gibbons, Hainan government set out a series of measures. Local government planted more than 300,000 trees as food for the gibbons. Local people moved out of the mountains to give living space to the gibbons. Volunteers went into the rainforest to protect them. Thanks to these protection efforts, the number of the gibbons has risen.
Li loves his job. As Li sat down under a tree and adjusted his camera, several Hainan gibbons hung their bodies upside down and touched his head and equipment with their hands.
"Without protection, this species would be never seen again," Li said. "I will guard them forever, until my legs can no longer run."
