BEIJING -- Many rare wild animals have been caught on camera in Xining, capital of Northwest China's Qinghai province, according to the Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

In May last year, the institute cooperated with the Xining Botanical Garden to place infrared cameras in the garden. After a year of observation, images of many wild animals have now been obtained, such as desert cats, leopard cats, badgers and ring-necked pheasants, said Lian Xinming, an expert of the institute.

"Although Xining and its surrounding areas have always been traditional habitats for desert cats, it was surprising to capture their images in such a well-travelled botanical garden in the city center," Lian said.

"Most photos of the wild animals were taken at night, especially desert cats, leopard cats and badgers. Most of the images captured during the daytime were of birds scared of humans, such as ring-necked pheasants and magpies," he noted.

This phenomenon demonstrates that wild animals have found adaptive behavioral strategies to counter the interference of human activities, Lian analyzed. The staggered activity times allow animals and humans to live in harmony.