LANZHOU, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- About 40 white-lipped deer, a protected species in China, were spotted in the Qilian Mountains National Park in northwest China's Gansu Province by forest rangers, according to the administration of the park.

 The Qilian Mountains National Park covers 50,200 square km -- 34,400 square km in Gansu and 15,800 square km in Qinghai. It is home to many rare animal species, including snow leopards, wild donkeys and blue sheep.

 The administration of the park said that the population of white-lipped deer has increased over the past decade. With years of intensive protection efforts for wild animals and the restoration of the ecological environment of the Qilian Mountains, the habitat of the deer has been expanding and the quality of their habitat has been significantly improved.

 White-lipped deer are well-known for their white lips, and they live at high altitudes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is under China's highest national-level protection and is listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. Enditem