‘Male antelopes guard females during their migration’

Xinhua,Lhasa, Aug. 31:  In the Changtang National Nature Reserve, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, a slightly bloated female Tibetan antelope ran back and forth on the grass dozens of metres away from her herd, and then slowly lay down.

She gave birth to a black-brown calf after six months of pregnancy. The umbilical cord was still attached and the calf could not yet stand.

The mother quickly left the delivery spot, going about 100 metres away. After several minutes, the little one, covered in sand and gravel, staggered onto its hind legs, touching the grass with the tip of its black nose as if it were kissing the ground. The mother quickly returned to the calf and caressed its body with her tongue.

This season of the year is the "season of life" on the northern Xizang plateau.

Known as the "forbidden zone of life," it has extreme weather and fierce predators. It is also a refuge for rare wild animals such as Tibetan antelope, wild yaks and black-necked cranes, somewhere they can survive and reproduce. The reserve is home to 10 national first-level protected wild animals and 21 national second-level protected 

wild animals.

Hundreds of thousands of pregnant antelope have migrated here, making the area around northern Xizang's Serwo snow mountain and Tianshui Bay (meaning "sweet water") China's largest Tibetan antelope "delivery room."

"This season, almost all the females come here for calving," said Kalzang Lhundrup, head of the Norbu Yugyel wildlife conservation station in 

Nyima County.

Norbu Yugyel, formerly a police officer at the local forest public security police station, sacrificed his life while apprehending poachers in Changtang in 2002. The station bears his name.

"I have known about Norbu Yugyel since childhood. In the 1990s, he caught many poachers and confiscated hundreds of Tibetan antelope pelts," Kalzang Lhundrup said.

"I grew up under his influence, and I wanted to keep protecting the Tibetan antelope," he added.

For years, Kalzang Lhundrup and his colleagues have bravely endured extreme weather conditions, scarce supplies, a complete absence of phone and internet signals, and a lack of proper paved roads on which to conduct their lengthy, arduous patrols.

Without signals and roads, their convoy relies on memory and tire tracks from previous patrols, while the uniquely shaped mountains serve as their guideposts.

"Several bursts of snow can fall in a single day, even during summer, and we have to wait for the snow to stop before we can proceed," said Kalzang Lhundrup.

Since 2015, 73 wildlife conservation stations have been set up in Changtang, with a total of 780 conservation officers, including 14 at Norbu Yugyel's station.

The rangers at Mayil (meaning "mother" in Tibetan) station "adopted" three lost young Tibetan antelope last summer, feeding them with milk until they were old enough to be returned to nature.

Norbu, one of the rangers, recalled an encounter with a pregnant antelope on the evening of June 14 near his patrol team's temporary camp. A wolf attacked her, cutting her belly open with its teeth. The antelope managed to escape, and ran to the camp using her last bit of strength. Due to its fear of humans, the pursuing wolf retreated.

The antelope's internal organs were faintly visible through the abdominal wound, which Norbu skillfully cleansed with alcohol and slowly stitched up.

As the antelope gradually regained movement, she licked Norbu's hand and struggled to her feet, slowly heading toward the horizon, where a flock of pregnant antelope were waiting for her as the sun set.

Over a decade ago, it took three days on horseback for the patrol team to reach Tianshui Bay.