Taking the opportunity of participating in the Qinghai-Tibet scientific research work, I was fortunate to set foot on this mysterious and beautiful territory, and was shocked by its vastness and magnificence. I have always wanted to share what I saw and heard outside of work. While showing the beauty of the plateau, it can also arouse the public's attention to the ecological protection of the plateau. Even if it is a meager effort, I hope to contribute to the environmental protection cause of the motherland. I was suffering from not knowing where to start writing, until I got inspiration from a photo (cover photo) shared by a friend who works in Nianbaoyuze Scenic Spot in Jiuzhi County. Maybe we can start with the Tibetan antelope, the elf in the snow region.
The memory of Tibetan antelope can be traced back to the reports of poaching in focus interviews in childhood. On the second day when I first went to the plateau, I passed the Sonam Dajie Nature Reserve named after the protagonist of the show, Sonam Dajie. The female Tibetan antelope travels thousands of miles to give birth at Zhuonai Lake and Taiyang Lake in Hoh Xil every May and June. Most of them will cross the Qinghai-Tibet Highway to the breeding ground, and the Sonam Dajie Protection Station is located here. On the only way for Tibetan antelopes, they guard the passing Tibetan antelopes year after year, fulfilling the unfulfilled wish of the martyr Sonam Dajie. Unfortunately, it was almost August when I passed by. Although I saw many yaks and wild horses, there was no trace of the plateau elves.
Until this summer, when we passed Selin Co, we were lucky enough to see the Tibetan antelope up close. (The pictures were all taken on the northeast coast of Serin Co. I wonder if you can tell the difference between the Tibetan gazelle and the Tibetan antelope? So it is quite difficult to meet the real Tibetan antelope. I only know a little about the difference between the two. I hope everyone can correct me a lot)
Whether it is a Tibetan antelope or a Tibetan antelope, the gender difference is very simple: males have horns and females do not.
This is a cute young male Tibetan gazelle, with a pair of small and delicate horns on his head like a crown.
This is a slightly grown male Tibetan gazelle. Note that the horns are curved and not long.
There are two main differences between the Tibetan antelope and the Tibetan antelope: one is the buttocks, the Tibetan antelope has a white butt and a black tail, which looks like a peach heart from a distance; the other is the horns, the Tibetan antelope is short and curved backwards, The horns of the Tibetan antelope are long and straight, only slightly curved at the top.
After waiting for so long, the main character finally appeared. The male Tibetan antelope in the enclosure looked at us squarely, and noticed that its face was black, which was the result of hormonal regulation, and the closer it was to the breeding season, the darker it would be.
It can be seen that the buttocks of the Tibetan antelope are not white. They were grazing leisurely in the fence, and Tibetan prayer flags were hung on the fence. The desertification of the grassland outside the fence is serious, which is caused by the impact of human activities such as vehicle driving, and the establishment of the fence is a means for the local government to protect the grassland.
Tibetan gazelle and Tibetan antelope in the distance (upper right).
A Tibetan gazelle is grazing leisurely.
Running to the future Three Tibetan gazelles ran carefree to the fertile pastures in the distance. It can be seen that the coverage of grass inside and outside the fence is completely different, indicating that the autonomous region government's enclosure protection work has achieved certain results. However, there is a long way to go, and the road ahead in the field of ecological protection in my country is still very difficult, and it still needs more attention, more in-depth research, and wider social support. As this graphic shows, the road is bumpy and the future is bright.
Tibetan antelope (scientific name: Pantholops hodgsonii):
The body length is 135 cm, the shoulder height is 80 cm, and the weight is 45-60 kg. The female is slightly smaller. The head is wide and long, the snout is stout, and the nose is wide and slightly raised. Males have long black horns.
It inhabits alpine grasslands, meadows and alpine deserts at an altitude of 3700-5500 meters. It forages in the morning and evening and is good at running. Can form groups of tens of thousands. Summer females migrate north along fixed routes. It is a first-class protected animal in my country.
At the end of the last century, the Tibetan antelope was affected by severe poaching, and the number dropped sharply, and it was on the verge of extinction. The release of the "Xining Declaration" in 1999 marked the initial formation of international cooperation in combating the poaching of Tibetan antelopes and the illegal international trade in Tibetan antelope cashmere products, which will greatly promote the protection of Tibetan antelope resources.
Fuwa Yingying, one of the mascots of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, is modeled on the Tibetan antelope to praise its tenacious vitality in surviving in harsh environments and to express the spirit of challenging the limit. .
On September 4, 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature announced that the threat level of the Tibetan antelope was downgraded from endangered to vulnerable. (The above is quoted from Baidu Encyclopedia)
At present, the number of Tibetan antelope is believed to have increased significantly. In recent years, thousands of Tibetan antelopes have been seen crossing the Qinghai-Tibet Highway every year. According to reports from the Zhuonai Lake Conservation Station, more than 30,000 Tibetan antelopes gathered by the Zhuonai Lake in July 2015. In addition to traditional habitats such as Zhuonai Lake and Taiyang Lake, Sewu Snow Mountain has also been found to be an important Tibetan antelope habitat. It is said that more than 100,000 Tibetan antelopes have gathered in this area.
Sonam Dajie (1954-1994):
Tibetan, once served as deputy secretary of the Zhiduo County Committee of Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province. In 1992, he founded the Zhiduo County Western Working Committee (Western Working Committee) to carry out ecological conservation work in the Hoh Xil area. On January 18, 1994, died in a fight with poachers. The death of Sonam Dajie shocked all walks of life and public opinion. The Chinese government approved the establishment of the "Hoh Xil Provincial Nature Reserve" in 1995, and upgraded it to the "Koke Xil National Nature Reserve" in 1997.
To commemorate Sonam Dajie, the first protection station in the Hoh Xil Reserve was named after him, "Sonan Dajie Protection Station".
His brother-in-law Zhaba Dorje originally served as the deputy director of the Yushu Prefecture People's Congress Legal Affairs Committee. After Sonam Dajie was killed, he voluntarily applied to take over his former position——Deputy Secretary of the Zhiduo County Party Committee and Secretary of the Western Working Committee, succeeding Sonam Dajie work. (The above is quoted from Baidu Encyclopedia)