Story By: Emily Wu, Sub Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Asia Wire Report

An elderly self-taught photographer who walked through chest-deep snow in heavy mountainous terrain for years in search of close-up images of a wide sable has finally achieved success.

The photographer Wan Xingfu, 65, told AsiaWire he was delighted when he finally managed to capture cute close-up shots of the wild sable in a snow-covered mountain after years of attempting.

The video of the sable was captured in the Changbai Mountain, located in the city of Baishan, in the north-eastern Chinse province of Jilin, on 31st January.

Wan Xingfu started teaching himself photography late in life when he was 58 years old and has mastered the art of wildlife photography.

The photographer refuses to interact with the wild animals in their natural habitat because he believes that would disturb their peace or could even bring harm.

Wan Xingfu said that the sable was only eight meters away from him when he managed to capture the rare close up shot from his hiding spot.

In the footage, the sable is staring directly in the camera which manages to catch all the delicate details like the snow on the fur and on the snout of the animal.

Wan Xingfu said: “After shooting wild sables for four years in the hope of the perfect picture, I finally got such cute close-ups!“

The sable is a species of marten from the weasel family that is native to northern Asia.

The cute animal is known to be an amazing hunter and it can detect it’s prey through smell and hearing.

Unfortunately, sables are often hunted down for their highly-valued dark fur, which is only produced in Northeast China and is considered one of the ‘Three Treasures of the Northeast’ together with ginseng and deer antlers.

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