For more than two decades, a ranger at a national nature reserve in east China's Zhejiang Province has dedicated himself to capturing fantastic images of endangered South China sika deer, a subspecies of sika deer, to raise public awareness in support of biodiversity protection.

Zhang Shuyan nurses a fawn from a herd of South China sika deer, which is under first-class state protection in China. (Photo courtesy of Zhang Shuyan)

The ranger, named Zhang Shuyan, works at the Qianqingtang protection station in the Qingliangfeng National Nature Reserve in the Lin'an district of Hangzhou, capital city of Zhejiang Province, and first started taking pictures of South China sika deer in 1998. After the national nature reserve was established that same year, Zhang has continued to take on responsibilities for monitoring, protecting and photographing the species.

"The South China sika deer is under first-class state protection in China and was added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species. The population of the animal in the country is less than 2,000," Zhang introduced.

The ranger added that the species' population has seen its numbers increase from less than 80 when they were discovered in the nature reserve to more than 300 now, all thanks to consistent conservation efforts over the past years.

Photo shows South China sika deer, a species that is under first-class state protection in China. (Photo courtesy of Zhang Shuyan)

In addition to the South China sika deer, Zhang has also shot images of birds, snakes, insects and other animals at the nature reserve and has been captivated by its rich biodiversity. He previously purchased better photographic equipment so that he could take high-quality photos of the wild animals.

Meanwhile, Zhang has used his photographs of wild animals for publicity activities related to biodiversity protection, hoping to arouse people's curiosity about nature. According to him, photographing a species is not only to tell people what the species is, but also to show them its beauty so that everyone can promote the protection of all wild animals.

Photo shows South China sika deer, a species that is under first-class state protection in China. (Photo courtesy of Zhang Shuyan)

Photo shows Zhang Shuyan, a ranger working at the Qianqingtang protection station in the Qingliangfeng National Nature Reserve in the Lin'an district of Hangzhou, capital city of Zhejiang Province, China. (Photo courtesy of Zhang Shuyan)