First Person | Li Youlong

Li Youlong is head of the animal management department at Yunnan Wild Animal Park.

I majored in traditional Chinese medicine during my university studies and became a veterinarian after graduating. For me, animals are my friends and family, too.

We used laboratory rats or monkeys in experiments at college. They were supposed to be the sources for our research, but I developed a growing sympathy for animals, so I chose to start work at a zoo in Guilin in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

I have worked continuously with animals since 2000. I can chat to them and exchange feelings through eye contact and body language. No matter what size they are, they are like children, pure and simple.

Over 14 years, I have taken part in many animal rescues. One, in 2007, involving an injured Asian elephant left a deep impression.

Moving day at the zoo a cagey business

To save this animal, which weighed 2.5 metric tons, more than 60 people, including zoo workers and forest police, had to make a road to allow a truck to get into a forest. It took us hours to get the elephant into a cage for medical treatment.

When we started, the villagers came to help and cheer us on. We were all friends with the elephant and other animals.

In Yunnan province, we've seen increased demand for animal exchanges with other areas, and the need to transport animals in the future will continue to rise.

In the past decade, while working at Yunnan Wild Animal Park, I have escorted more than 40 batches of animals from China and foreign countries, including those from Africa.

Although the trips with animals are exhausting because of the complicated preparations and procedures, they can offer new experiences.

I hope more young people can join us.