Event Details
WHAT: RASBJ Goes Wild! Leopard Cat Monitoring with ShanShui Conservationists
WHEN: October 24, Saturday. The bus leaves at 7 AM. We expect to leave the site at around 3 PM and be back at our pick-up point by 6 PM.
WHERE: The trip will begin and end at the Liangmahe Hilton, 1 Dongfang Rd, North Dongsanhuan Rd. ๅไบฌๅธๅฐ้กฟ้ ๅบ ๏ผไบฎ้ฉฌๆฒณๅบ๏ผไธๆน่ทฏ1ๅท. The expedition site, Jingxi Forest Farm, is 2.5 hours' drive away, in the mountainous part of Mentougou district in the west of Beijing, where motion cameras have been installed that will be helping us capture some very elusive "leopard cat selfies."
MORE ABOUT THE EVENT: We've been on something of a wildlife streak recently, with events on snakes, tigers and the wild leopard cat. Now, we're taking things a step further. Following our recent leopard cat event, RASBJ has donated funds to nature conservation non-profit ShanShui to purchase and install four motion-detection cameras to monitor wild leopard cats on the outskirts of Beijing.
Encouraged by our resident natural-world expert Terry Townshend, RASBJ is organising a day trip to Mentougou with ShanShui colleagues Huilin Sun and Xier Chen to install the four camera "traps" ourselves. Think of it as a hands-on substitute for Terry's usual autumn birding trip. We'll be back to birding with Terry in spring 2027.
Please remember to bring refreshments including food for your own lunch, clothing suited to the weather, good hiking shoes or boots, and walking sticks. Leopard cats are not keen on well trodden routes, so we will be walking in mountainous terrain off the beaten track.
HOW MUCH: Cost is RMB 350 for members and RMB 450 for non-members. Children are welcome, at full price if they take a seat on the coach. Payment by Alipay may be easier than by WeChat. Credit cards are also accepted. Please note RASBJ does not issue fapiao. Interested in becoming an RASBJ member? Please sign up at https://rasbj.glueup.cn/org/rasbeijing/memberships/
Instead of contributing a fee for guiding us on this tour, RASBJ invites participants to support ShanShui Conservation Center, a local NGO that focuses on community-based conservation on the Tibetan Plateau and runs urban biodiversity programmes in Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou (please see http://en.shanshui.org/ for more information). RASBJ will donate half of any surplus from this event to ShanShui Conservation Center, as we have done for RASBJ's birding excursions; therefore adult registrants who travel to the site using their own transport are asked to pay full price.
HOW TO JOIN THE EVENT: Numbers are limited to 10. Please click "Register" or "I Will Attend" and follow the instructions, which will include providing your WeChat ID so that we can reach you with any last-minute information and updates โ very important! After successful registration, you will receive a confirmation email. If you seem not to have received it, please check your spam folder.
Places are limited, and RASBJ members have priority until 6 PM on Thursday October 15, after which tickets for any remaining spaces will become available to non-members. Places will be limited to one per person and will be allocated in order of receipt of payment, so early booking is advised.
REFUND POLICY: If the event is cancelled or postponed by RASBJ, all registrants will receive refunds in full. Registrants wishing to cancel for their own reasons will be refunded if cancellation is received via email to communications@rasbj.org by Wednesday October 21, so that your place can be offered to those on the waiting list.
SAFETY & LIABILITY: Please wear appropriate clothing/footwear for the weather and adhere to safety instructions or other codes of conduct. Participation in RASBJ events and excursions is at your own risk. RASBJ accepts no liability for loss or damage, including personal injury or damage to property.
