HOHHOT -- Dozens of rare Mongolian wild asses have been found in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, local forestry police said.

The forestry police of Sonid Right Banner, Xilingol League said they recently saw five Mongolian wild asses when they were patrolling the border areas between China and Mongolia.

The five adult wild asses were physically fit. Based on analysis of historical materials, we concluded there were around 80 such Mongolian wild asses living in the border areas, said Fu Leilei, a police officer of the forestry police bureau.

The frequent appearance of the wild asses showed that the environment and vegetation in this region had been better. Local residents' awareness of protecting wild animals and effective actions of local forestry police had also helped the return of the endangered creatures, he added.

The Mongolian wild ass was listed as an endangered animal by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2015. The species enjoys first-class protection in the country.