The news that wildlife monitors have captured images of six moose in the Greater Khingan Range for the first time was confirmed by the local natural reserve in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on May 12.

The pictures were taken between October 2015 and March 2016 by infrared cameras. The images will likely do a lot to protect the rare species, according to Yang Kun, Director of the Ecological Science Education Center at Hanma National Nature Reserve in Inner Mongolia.

The data collected so far includes videos and pictures of the courtship behavior of moose in the winter. Pictures show the male moose competing for mates, as well as engaging in typical feeding behavior.

Moose are very sensitive to environmental changes, and the most recent data indicates that ecological conditions have improved, Yang noted.

The moose is the largest extant species in the deer family. Affected by human activities and global climate change, moose populations in northeast China have been declining, and suitable habitats continue to shrink and move north.