A total of 120 Chinese alligators, also known as Yangtze alligators, will be released to the wild in the National Chinese Alligator Natural Reserve in Xuancheng city of East China's Anhui province by the end of Monday.

It will be the largest-ever reintroduction program of this rare species under Class I protection in the 40 years since the reserve was founded in 1979.

The Chinese alligators are endemic to East China. Nowadays, the majority of the species live in Anhui province.

The reserve, which is mostly based in the suburbs of Xuancheng, is now home to more than 16,000 Chinese alligators, including newly hatched ones.

It is the world's largest breeding center for the species, according to the reserve's administrative bureau.

Before the reintroduction, there were only about 200 individuals in the wild.