Tian loves all creatures living in this area. For him, spotted seals are more like family. He even named a spotted seal with a scar on its belly Appendicitis. "I saw it for three consecutive years but haven't seen it this year," Tian said.

"It's April now and the spotted seals have started moving back to the Pacific again," he said.

The cycle will start again in October, when the spotted seals will "return home" to the northernmost coastline of China.

Over the years, researchers, environmentalists and wildlife experts have monitored and rescued spotted seals, as well as provided medical treatment for them.

Now, a complete system for rescuing spotted seals has been established, and both the protection and release of spotted seals in the wild have become more scientific, according to the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Bureau of Panshan county.

Spotted seals were included in the "National Key Protected Wild Animals List" in the late 1980s and became a first-class protected animal in 2021. More importantly, the authorities have taken targeted measures, including habitat restoration, to better protect the spotted seals, Tian said.

Panjin is famous for its unique red beaches and green reeds.

In fact, it boasts the world's largest and best-preserved coastal reed wetlands. Besides, in recent years, Panjin has restored 85,900 acres of coastal wetlands and added 17.6 kilometers of natural coastline by implementing the "returning farmland to wetlands" policy, thus creating a favorable breeding ground for Western Pacific spotted seals, according to the Linye River Wetland Conservation and Management Bureau of Panjin.

With the advancement of technology and better protection of the environment and ecology, the conservation efforts for spotted seals have yielded good results.

According to this year's population survey of spotted seals, nearly 400 individuals were observed in winter in the Liaohe reserve, that is, more than double the number in 2021 and 30 percent more than last year, according to the Linye bureau.

"I count the spotted seals one by one every day using high-definition images from drones. On March 25, we counted 398 spotted seals, the highest number we've seen this year," Tian said, adding that the spotted seals can sense the friendliness of the people here as well as the improvement in the ecological environment.

Yan Zhongqian contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at [email protected]