China’s “Princess of the Beavers” on a conservation mission

In the Altay prefecture in Northern Xinjiang, People’s Republic of China, Chu Wenwen is a wildlife biologist working to try and save the endangered Sino-Mongolian beaver. From a very young age Chu Wenwen has followed and learnt from her father Chu Hongjun, a notable wildlife expert. The Sino-Mongolian beaver, Castor fiber birulai, is only found on the Ulungur River and there maybe as few as 500 left. They are particularly under threat because of the expanding human population and pressures on their habitat. Chu Wenwen is trying to teach the local people that the beavers need protection. She has produced films of the beavers, set up an NGO about wildlife protection and next year she aims to build an education centre (see CGTN, also paper: Chu, H. & Jiang, Z. (2009) Distribution and conservation of the Sino-Mongolian beaver Castor fiber birulai in China. Oryx 43: 197-202)

Posted on November 18, 2019 at 7:53 pm

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