More than 2,500 elk played in the water at a national nature reserve for the species in Shishou, Hubei province, in late October.

Because of prolonged drought and high temperatures this year, preservation of the reserve's wetlands faces challenges. Workers drilled wells for water at surrounding depressions to protect animals living there.

The number of newborn elks at the reserve this year reached 307. "This represents a surge of 15 percent annually, which is very fast," said Yang Tao, the reserve's deputy director of management and scientific research.