Interest in endangered wild cats surges

　　 InfraredphototakenonJan17,2019showsasnowleopardintheQilianMountainsNationalParkinNorthwestChinasQinghaiprovince.[Photo/Xinhua]PhotosofsnowleopardsandChinesemountaincatssparkedasurgeinpublicinterestinthetwoendangeredspecieslastweekwhenadeputyfromQinghaiprovinceshowedthemtoPresidentXiJinpingduringtheannualmeetingofChina,aNationalPeoplesCongressdeputyfromthenorthwesternprovince,,Qinghaiswildlifehadbeenseriouslythreatenedbyovergrazing,overdevelopedtourism,illegalminingandthegeneraldegradationofitsvegetationdatingbacktothe1980s,withwildlifepopulationsdecliningsharply,Kongsaid."Thankstoresoluteenvironmentalprotectioneffortsfromboththegovernmentandlocalpeople,theQilianMountainshavebeenprotectedunderthestrictestrulesandarenowseeinglargergreenareas,fewersandstormsandcleanerwater,",200squarekilometersspanningtheborderofQinghaiandGansuprovinces,withroughly15,800sqkminQinghaifeaturingforest,grassland,heparkwasestablished,,bothlistedas"vulnerable"bytheInternationalUnionforConservationofNature."ChinesemountaincatsarethemostmysteriouswildanimalsandtheonlyconfirmedlocationsintheworldaretheprovincesofQinghaiandSichuaninChina,"saidZhangYu,deputydirectoroftheparksQinghaimanagementoffice.。