[Video by Jiao Fangning/Provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

More than 100 white-lipped deer have been spotted in Qilian Mountain National Park, a key ecological barrier in western China's Gansu province.?

Staff members came across the deer while using a drone to conduct a routine survey.

The deer lives at high altitude in mountains between 3,500 and 5,100 meters.?The rare white-lipped deer is protected by the State at the highest level.??

Notable progress has been made in the protection of plants and animals in the park, whose environment has improved to sustain an increasing number of protected species.