A 27-year-old Chinese woman shed tears over a beaver that passed away. "If we had done an ultrasound earlier and known about the pus in its belly, perhaps the outcome would have been different," she lamented.
This beaver was found when the Altay Regional Nature Conservation Association was first established. It might have inadvertently wandered into another territory and fought with its counterparts, ultimately paying with its life.
When Chu Wenwen first saw it, there were obvious wounds on its skin, but with the existing medical conditions of the association, they could only clean the wounds simply.
Under the care of the association, the beaver seemed to be recovering, eating and sleeping well, and its wounds were healing slowly. Chu Wenwen and her team even began planning to release it back into the wild.
Unexpectedly, the beaver's apparent recovery was just a fleeting moment of improvement. One night, it started convulsing all over and quickly weakened. Despite resuscitation efforts, the beaver passed away.
"When the surgeon cut open its belly, the pus erupted out like a volcano," she said, partially blaming herself for the beaver's death. "If we had better equipment and if there were enough trees and habitats for it, this might not have happened."
The little life that had been with her day and night vanished before her eyes, and Chu Wenwen's tears flowed uncontrollably. She felt that she could have done better, but in the face of death, she felt helpless.
She felt委屈 and self-blame, but what use was crying? She had to do something to prevent this from happening again...
Chu Wenwen's love for wildlife was inspired by her father, "who spent his entire life protecting wild animals."
To observe beavers up close, her father moved the family from Shandong to Xinjiang, and Chu Wenwen grew up in nature.
Her father took her into the wild when she was just two years old, and when she was seven, he gave her a camera and encouraged her to record interesting things.
When Chu Wenwen got tired while observing animals in the wild, her father wouldn't rush her but would deliberately take more time to record, and when she caught up, the father and daughter would walk and chat together: "The argali sheep are so amazing; they can climb up such steep places in a flash."
The creatures of nature are strange and wonderful. The beaver is a wild architect, using branches to build dams in river channels.
Someone might be startled to see a beaver swimming in the water for the first time, but Chu Wenwen was never afraid. Instead, she found them endearing when they rubbed their bellies and faces.
Rather than simply following in her father's footsteps, Chu Wenwen's love for wildlife comes from the bottom of her heart. She knew what she wanted to do in the future when she was a child.
She was admitted to Beijing Forestry University and without hesitation chose the major of Wildlife Conservation and Utilization. "After being with them for a long time, you develop feelings for them, and you have a responsibility towards them," she said.
After completing her master's degree in 2018, she also faced the decision of whether to stay or go. Should she enjoy the conveniences of the city and find a high-paying job like her classmates, or return to Xinjiang to be with wildlife?
Ultimately, she chose to return to Xinjiang, as the cubicles in an office building were not suitable for her. "People call me many things in the media, but my favorite is 'Beaver Princess,'" she said.
Chu Wenwen is dedicated to protecting the Eurasian beaver, the least numerous species of beaver with only 1,000 individuals worldwide, over 600 of which are in China, mainly distributed in the Altay region. They are Class I protected animals in China.
"An increase in their population indicates that the environment is constantly improving. They bite off trees and carry the wood into the water to build dams, which conserve water and soil. Each beaver dam provides new habitats for more wildlife, and these dams accumulate nutrients, supporting fish populations and attracting many waterbirds," she explained.
However, these beavers are also very vulnerable. "Xiaomian's" family was protected by Chu Wenwen and her "old classmate" for three years.
Every winter, the old classmate dragged firewood to block the cold wind outside the entrance of their burrow and brought carrots for them to eat. But despite their care, Xiaomian did not escape the fate of being killed by a wild dog.
Due to the decrease in forests, many beavers fight over territories.
Injured beavers, even if sent to rescue centers, may die due to the lack of professional medical equipment for treatment.
"I have had moments of anxiety and pain, but I have never thought of giving up," Chu Wenwen said.
Chu Wenwen's solution was to let more people know what she was doing. If everyone contributed a little, their chances of survival would be much greater.
Chu Wenwen opened a social media account, sharing her daily life which featured scenes rarely seen by others.
For example, a usually aloof vulture was poisoned, and its innocent plea for help resembled a frightened child's eyes.
Based on past experience, the probability of survival after poisoning was lower than winning the lottery. In a moment of anxiety, Chu Wenwen said, "If you can survive, I am willing to stay single for two years."
They injected an antidote and administered intravenous fluids every four hours to help it metabolize the poison. The rescue team worked all night and unexpectedly saved the vulture!
The vulture not only recovered its spirit but also dominated the washing machine as its territory.
Funding has always been a problem for Chu Wenwen and her friends. They lacked professional equipment and trained veterinarians. Sometimes, despite their best efforts, they could not achieve a good outcome.
A three-month-old lynx lost its mother and got stuck in a net while hunting on its own. When the rescue center found it, it was already emaciated and couldn't stand on its hind legs, dragging them as it walked.
The little lynx couldn't catch live prey and could only eat garbage, filling its intestines with hard lumps.
Despite consulting experts and buying milk powder for it, the little lynx still passed away in pain a few days later.
Many people saw Chu Wenwen's persistence and felt heartbroken when small animals left.
As a result, more people joined the animal protection activities. Some donated money, leading to the planting of 410,000 willow saplings in the Ulungur River basin over the years. Some donated their time, with over one million netizens voluntarily monitoring infrared cameras to record the movements of wildlife. With the help of so many people, the Eurasian beaver population increased by 20% in 2021, reaching a historic peak.
At the United Nations Biodiversity Conference in October 2021, Chu Wenwen was selected as a youth representative from China. Her wish was simple: "To make the beaver a well-known species that everyone is willing to protect, and to plant willows along the Ulungur River."
In modern society, where people face various temptations every day, it is truly valuable to devote oneself wholeheartedly to a cause, like Chu Wenwen.
She is either treating animals or on her way to treat them. Sometimes, she even takes on "debts of gratitude" because beavers steal and eat crops from farmers.
Graduating from a prestigious university, she could have led a more comfortable life in the eyes of outsiders, but Chu Wenwen doesn't see her work as arduous.
She is doing the work of her dreams every day, so how could she feel bitter?
"Humans and wildlife are both part of the beautiful Earth, and we must coexist harmoniously. For this goal, I will continue on this path without regrets," she concluded.