(CN) No man's land a home for wildlife

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There is a large plain in the northern part of the Tibet Autonomous Region. It

is called Qiangtang in Tibetan, meaning " the northern plain. "

 

At an average elevation of 5,000 metres above sea level, the area is also known

as " no man's land " because the extremely thin air makes it hard for people to

live there.

 

Last year, I visited the area twice in search of an understanding of the power

of life.

 

I first went to this magic land in May with 11 armed men - nature reserve

rangers from the Nagqu Forest Police, who had come with me to survey the land

and check on the precious wild animals that live there.

 

Leaving Nagqu - the biggest town in northern Tibet - and travelling north along

the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, we eventually arrived on the plains.

 

Further south, the spring breeze had already turned the grass green and made the

flowers bloom. But, as we went north, the cold wind of winter became stronger

and stronger.

 

The weather in northern Tibet is capricious. One second it could be sunny, and

the next it could be snowing. As we drove, the snow turned the land white,

covering the rough roads.

 

The weather soon got us into trouble. All three of our cars drove off the road

and got stuck in the marsh under the snow. It took us seven hours to pull them

out . We felt cold, hungry and tired that day.

 

None of us had the heart to complain, however. We were all enchanted and stirred

as we passed by crystal lakes and expansive grasslands, home to such rare

creatures as Tibetan antelopes, wild yaks and Tibetan wild donkeys.

 

To further help protect the area, the local government of the Nagqu Prefecture

is currently applying for the central government's approval to turn the area

into the National Qiangtang Wild Animal Reserve.

 

Looking for 'zui'

 

Called " zui " in Tibetan, the Tibetan antelope is protected at the highest level.

It lives at about 4,000 to 5,000 metres above sea level on the plateau, moving

from place to place according to the season and the supply of food. The local

herdsmen told us that every year in the spring and early summer, herds of

Tibetan antelopes join together and move to the north to breed.

 

The antelopes have, in recent years, become the prey of international smugglers

and wool traders, who brutally kill the graceful indigenous animal to satisfy

the greed of wealthy Westerners. A shawl made of 50 grams of Tibetan antelope

wool sells at the exorbitant price of 100,000 yuan (US$12,000).

 

As we drove across the barren plains, I began to notice narrow trails in the

distance. I was told that the trails were made by Tibetan antelope herds,

following the same routes as their ancestors across the plateau.

 

In the heart of the Qiangtang Nature Reserve, we discovered a multitude of

antelopes.

 

The antelopes walked silently north like soldiers marching. Each group was made

up of tens to hundreds of antelopes.

 

An experienced ranger told me that the brutal killings have sharpened the

antelopes sense of smell and hearing. They run faster when they sense human

beings around.

 

One loud word or cough or the sound of the car moving would scare them away.

 

We therefore got out of our jeeps about one kilometre away from the antelopes.

 

Holding our breaths, we crawled forward silently to get closer to them without

disturbing them.

 

At 5,000 metres above sea level, it was not easy to keep quiet, as we were all

soon out of breath.

 

It is said that the antelope can run at about 60 to 80 kilometres an hour, which

would mean that, if they heard us coming and were frightened away, not even the

car would be able to catch up with them.

 

One special reason we did not want to make the antelopes run was that many of

the females were pregnant , and running might induce some of them to have

miscarriages.

 

I gazed at the antelopes and found that, except for a few males, they were

mostly females with round bellies. The colour of their hides was almost the same

as that of the grass, making it hard to see them from a distance.

 

We stopped less than 100 metres away from the antelopes. At that distance, I was

able to take good photos as the antelopes slowly walked away.

 

Two months later, I returned to the heart of the Qiangtang Nature Reserve to

look for the antelopes again and see their babies.

 

The weather was warm and the land had turned green. Water was plentiful and the

pastures lush.

 

We came to a valley with a river running through it. I was stunned by the

countless footprints covering the sand beaches along the river. The wolves and

vultures we could see in the distance told us that the antelopes had been there

recently.

 

It took us a while, but we finally found the antelopes and their recently

birthed young. Their numbers were staggering, spread out over the plain like a

carpet, feasting on the summer's grasses and frolicking in the sun.

 

Stop illegal hunting

 

The person in charge of the Nagqu Forestry Public Security Bureau told me that

every year, illegal hunters kill about 5,000 antelopes, despite the efforts

being made to protect the wild animals and to crack down on illegal hunting.

 

On my first trip to the Qiangtang Nature Reserve, we spotted and destroyed traps

laid along a route 15 kilometres long by the hunters. The rangers travelling

with me also caught four illegal hunters.

 

The wild yak

 

The Qiangtang Nature Reserve, the so-called " no-man's land, " is actually alive

with large numbers of wild animals.

 

Apart from the Tibetan antelope, the wild yak also makes its home on the

plateau. Huge and heavy, ferocious and strong, the yaks live in the highest and

coldest part of the plateau.

 

On our trip, we discovered that not all yaks are ferocious. One day, we met a

large group of yaks in the snow. The adults had gathered together to protect

their young from the wind and snow.

 

The touching scene moved everyone in our group.

 

Another time we met a solitary yak on the road. The yak was so sensitive that it

ran away as soon as it saw us coming.

 

We raced after it, and when we were about 10 metres away, it stopped suddenly

and turned back to gaze at us.

 

This made us stop as well. But, when we started the vehicle again, the yak began

to rush towards us. We managed to escape only by the skin of our teeth. We

learnt from this that wild animals will not attack human beings unless they feel

threatened.

 

Encounters with wild asses

 

The Tibetan wild donkey is representative of all of Tibet's wild animals. It is

called " jiang " in Tibetan. It can be found all over the mountains, valleys and

grasslands in Tibet.

 

On our trip, we found that the wild donkeys, instead of running away from our

jeep, were often curious and would come close to investigate.

 

Life in the reserve is hard. We drunk water defrosted from the snow when we felt

thirsty, had only instant noodles to eat and we could not fall asleep because of

the thin air.

 

We had to face cold winds, bitter rain, snow and a burning sun. But at least we

knew we could go home in the end. The animals have no respite from the vicious

weather of the plateau. It is a tenacious life.

 

On leaving the reserve, I noticed two oil test wells had been dug at its edges.

The rangers said oil had been found there.

 

This made me feel very sad. I feared that the peace of the high plains would be

broken by the roar of drilling machines. I felt worried for the animals whose

home it was. Where else can they go? What does their future hold?

 

 

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11/27/2000

Author: CHENG WEIDONG

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