The militia detachment is patrolling the waters of South Dongting Lake. Xiao Teng captures the spring and clear scenery, with rippling blue waves. On the morning of April 6th, in the reed marshes of the South Dongting Lake area in Yiyang City, Hunan Province, a patrol boat plowed clear waves. Militia Wang Cheng stood at the bow of the boat, his gaze fixed on the water. In an instant, several dark figures in the distance jumped out of the water, rippling in circles - this is the lively greeting of the "smiling angel" Yangtze finless porpoise, and also a vivid echo of the Dongting militia's ecological protection. The finless porpoise is a freshwater mammal species unique to the Yangtze River Basin, a national first-class protected wild animal, and a barometer of the health of the Yangtze River ecosystem. Its head is round and rolling, and its mouth curve naturally rises, as if it is smiling with pursed lips, hence it is called the "smiling angel" by people. Once, due to multiple factors such as overfishing, shipping disruptions, and water pollution, the population of finless porpoises sharply declined and was listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Starting from January 1, 2021, a temporary ten-year fishing ban will be implemented in key water areas of the Yangtze River Basin. As an important habitat for finless porpoises, the military and civilian forces in Yiyang City, Hunan Province, have closely joined hands in this ecological defense battle to jointly protect the ecology of the waters of South Dongting Lake. Wang Cheng stood at the bow of the boat, commanding the patrol boat to slowly navigate through the wide waters at the center of the lake - where the water flow is gentle and the food is abundant, it is the preferred home of the finless porpoise and the core area that the militia team focuses on guarding. The finless porpoise is extremely sensitive to environmental changes and is highly susceptible to disturbance. Our patrol must be slow, meticulous, and steady! ”In the early morning, the thin mist on the lake surface did not dissipate, which posed a considerable challenge for observation. Wang Cheng's eyes were focused, staring closely at the lake. Not long after, a dark figure suddenly emerged from the distance, breaking the calm of the lake. The atmosphere on the patrol boat instantly became lively, with the militia members performing their duties in an orderly manner, steering, observing, and recording. The drone quickly takes off and flies towards the target water area; A assault boat carrying four militia members set sail simultaneously to carry out a close observation mission. The finless porpoise is lively by nature and likes to chase after the wake of ships, which can easily be accidentally injured by large ship propellers. Therefore, after discovering the finless porpoise, it mainly relied on drones and assault boats for close observation. ”Wang Cheng introduced that accurate observation of the activity trajectory of the finless porpoise is crucial for protection. It can not only grasp the core activity area of the finless porpoise, estimate the population size, implement precise enhanced patrols, but also detect abnormal situations in the first time. In 2025, patrol personnel discovered a finless porpoise with an injured tail fin in the waters of South Dongting Lake and promptly provided effective rescue. Guarding the finless porpoise is not as simple as observing it while patrolling the river. Every year from March to June, accompanied by the migration of Yangtze River fish to Dongting Lake, finless porpoises also flock here to forage and reproduce. Due to the high sensitivity of finless porpoises to environmental factors such as water quality, food sources, and noise, maintaining the stability and health of the ecological environment of South Dongting Lake has become a key focus of conservation work. To this end, every spring, the Yiyang Military Sub district and the People's Armed Forces Department of Yuanjiang City select backbone forces from the militia team, collaborate with the South Dongting Lake Nature Reserve Management Bureau and the Fishery Administration Department to conduct key inspections of the habitats of the finless porpoise, persuade illegal vessels to leave, clean up abandoned fishing nets, cages and other lethal fishing gear, and create a good environment for the breeding and reproduction of the finless porpoise. Guarding the finless porpoise is an all-weather, three-dimensional, and all encompassing ecological conservation battle. ”Wang Cheng said that the fishery administration, environmental protection and other departments have professional technology and equipment, while the militia team has a high degree of organization, execution and mobility. The military and civilian forces in the city work closely together and complement each other's advantages, jointly building a three-dimensional protection network for the finless porpoise that is "all-weather, all time, and all water areas". In recent years, Yiyang City has established a "five patrol linkage" system of "ship patrol+shore patrol+vehicle patrol+drone patrol+video patrol": during the day, walking along the lake shoreline for inspection and driving boats to patrol the lake surface; At night, with the help of drone thermal imaging technology, blind spots in the field of view are cleared, and illegal fishing, illegal pollution discharge, illegal sand mining and other behaviors are closely monitored to ensure that the finless porpoise lives and works in peace and contentment. Nowadays, there are more fish, the water is clear, and the finless porpoise has returned. The former "rare guest" has become a permanent "resident" of the clear waters of Dongting Lake. On the patrol road, challenges and dangers follow closely. Militia members often walk deep into shallow tributaries with dry food, carrying stars and moon, to investigate the hidden dangers of stranded finless porpoises. In recent years, with the unremitting efforts of military and civilian forces, the population of the Yangtze finless porpoise in South Dongting Lake has shown a steady growth trend. In February of this year, militia member Zeng Yaoxiang successfully captured the precious scene of five finless porpoises playing in the lake. He said, "In previous years, finless porpoises mostly appeared in the waters of Dongting Lake from March to June, but this year it was about a month earlier, which is rare." What is even more exciting is that monitoring data shows that since the beginning of this year, more than 30 finless porpoises have been detected in the South Dongting Lake area. The early 'reporting' and increase in the number of finless porpoises is a powerful witness to the continuous improvement of the ecological environment in the waters of South Dongting Lake. ”Zeng Yaoxiang said, "Finless porpoises have high requirements for water quality and food. They are willing to stay here to forage and reproduce due to the good ecological environment." Militia Long Lang is an excellent drone operator. In March 2024, he spent three days squatting in the reed marshes and captured a precious video of a group of finless porpoises roaming the waters of South Dongting Lake. In recent years, while operating drones to cruise on the blue waves of South Dongting Lake, he actively participated in public welfare propaganda, attracting more and more people's attention and participation in the protection of finless porpoises. He said, "Protecting the finless porpoise is not only about protecting rare species, but also about conveying ecological concepts, gathering consensus and strength. The militia guarding the finless porpoise are mostly local fishermen, retired soldiers, and young volunteers. They used to be the "cultivators" of Dongting Lake, but now they have turned into the "guardians" of the clear waters of the river. The transformation of their identity from "seeking from the martial arts world" to "guarding the martial arts world" embodies their deep love for the 800 mile Dongting Lake. They use ordinary perseverance to make the smile of the finless porpoise bloom in the rippling blue waves. (New Society)