Guo Geng, an animal protector

Moving onto something more serious. The Earthquake in Qinghai has been Mother Nature's reminder to us all that environmental protection needs to be a top priority. We are all just a small member of the world, with its diverse array of plants and animals, all of which need care and protection. In a time like this, it is people like Guo Geng, an animal activist in Beijing, who are stepping out.

David's Deer Park in Beijing is about to become home to a new fawn. Guo Geng and his colleagues are anxiously waiting for a doe to give birth. The fawn will be the first artificially inseminated David's deer in the world. In Chinese, these deer are called Milu. As an animal rights activist, Guo cares about not only about the newly born residents of the park, but for all the animals on Earth.

Guo Geng said, "When I was a middle school student, I went every day to the Temple of Heaven Park, which is near my school, to do morning exercises. I saw a kind of owl quite often and I thought I could connect with them. I think the kids who love animals are closer to them than scientists in a lab."

After graduating from the university, economic major Guo Geng was recruited by a trade company. But his concern about animals never faded. The more successful he was at his job, the more he longed to return to nature.

Guo said, "In my fifth year at the company, my boss collaborated with the Wildlife Conservation Association and set up an endangered animal protection center. I realized that my opportunity had come."

The center was inaugurated in January 1987 and Guo Geng was assigned as its first animal keeper.

To him, the day he first took care of the animals was significant.

Guo said, "It was January 21st, my birthday. From that day I started my years with monkeys."