TAIPEI, July 31 (Xinhua) -- A recently released Taiwan documentary hopes to draw public awareness to the lives of forest rangers on the island.
"Taiwan Forest Guard," directed by Lien Chien-hung, premiered in Taipei Tuesday, which is also World Ranger Day. The film chronicles the lives of four forest rangers working in the mountains of Taiwan.
"Working in the forests can be dangerous," said Sun Chia-hsiang, one of the rangers. "There are typhoons, earthquakes, mudslides, wild animals, forest fires and illegal logging activities."
Sun recalled an experience when he and his colleagues were battling several illegal loggers, who fired gunshots at them while escaping.
"We had to be brave and fight on," Sun said. "It was one of the most dangerous situations I've ever experienced."
Sun said Taiwan's current efforts in forest protection and preservation are not enough.
"A forest ranger is in charge of 100 to 200 hectares of forests, which is a huge task," Sun said. "One ranger can only patrol a very limited patch of land every day."
Director Lien Chien-hung said that the most impressive part of the filming process was when the entire crew spent five days living in the mountains with the forest rangers.
"It was like 'Man VS Wild'," Chien said. "Daily activities such as eating, going to the toilet and transportation all became problems for us."
Chien said the filming process was not easy, especially when they were walking on cliffs.
"We had to rely on the rangers to help us get through very difficult areas," he said.
Chien hopes the documentary can help draw more attention to the lives of forest rangers.
"Their salary is quite low, but their jobs are very hard," Chien said. "I hope that the public will get to know them better."
