Winter mornings at Qinghai Lake are extremely cold, with temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius. However, the cold weather and hard winds can't stop a female Przewalski's gazelle named Dong Dong from walking to the entrance of a protection station and waiting for her best friend, Wu Yonglin.

When she hears Wu's footsteps, she approaches the gate and joins Wu as he patrols the area to make sure all the herds are safe and sound.

Wu, 58, has worked in the administration department of the Qinghai Lake National Nature Reserve for 18 years. He has a passion for the conservation of Przewalski's gazelles.

The gazelle was once widespread in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and provinces such as Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai and others. Due to human activity and habitat loss, its population was below 300 – less than the giant panda – in an investigation conducted in the 1990s.

The protection station that Wu works in was founded in 2004 to breed endangered species as well as provide shelter for rescued gazelles.

Dong Dong was rescued by Wu after she was found on the eastern bank of Qinghai Lake, abandoned by her mother. The gazelle has embraced her new family in the protection station after being raised by Wu.

In 2021, Wu noticed that the little one was different from the other gazelles in the station. Przewalski's gazelles are extremely alert and cautious. The big herds always remain at a safe distance, even from Wu, who has taken care of them for years.

But Dong Dong, on the contrary, is like a "shepherd gazelle," following Wu to check her herd's safety. Only when Wu leaves the field will Dong Dong return to her herd. 

After years of protection, the population of Przewalski's gazelles has increased to 2,700, according to data released in August 2021.

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