XINING, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Female Tibetan antelopes are giving birth on a large scale in northwest China's Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve, according to local authorities.
Around May each year, tens of thousands of pregnant Tibetan antelopes start their migration to Hoh Xil to give birth, leaving with their offspring in late July.
The Hoh Xil management office, under the management bureau of Sanjiangyuan National Park, has been monitoring the animals' movements. On April 26, the first batch of 26 Tibetan antelopes migrated from the 3,001 km mark on the Qinghai-Tibet Highway to Drolkar Lake in the hinterland of Hoh Xil, said the office.
The Drolkar Lake area, which is more than 4,800 meters above sea level, is a crucial birthplace for the species.
"Rain and snow affected the migration speed of the Tibetan antelopes," said Tsesogyal, a staffer with the Drolkar Lake protection station, adding that more than 30,000 female Tibetan antelopes are giving birth in the Drolkar Lake area, and the flock has spread across the meadows and hillsides around the lake.
Wu Xiaomin, a Chinese expert in Tibetan antelope protection, said the reason why the animals gather at Drolkar Lake to give birth remains an unsolved mystery in the academic world.
Drolkar Lake used to be one of the most popular places for poaching Tibetan antelope. In order to ensure the smooth migration of the species, the Hoh Xil management office has set up a special seasonal protection station in Drolkar Lake to monitor the migration and delivery of the animals.
"During the breeding season, the staff strengthened patrols in the area around Drolkar Lake, focusing on observing whether there are traces of human activity such as ruts and footprints nearby, and observing the birth of Tibetan antelopes by telescope at a distance. Interference with the calving by human activity should be avoided," Tsesogyal said.
According to Pugdrug, director of the Hoh Xil management office, with the continuous strengthening of ecological protection, there have been no cases of poaching of Tibetan antelope in Hoh Xil since 2009.
"The staff also rescue Tibetan antelope calves that have become separated from their flocks, and the population of Tibetan antelopes in Hoh Xil has recovered to more than 70,000," Pugdrug said.
The status of Tibetan antelopes in China has been downgraded from "endangered" to "near threatened." During the 1980s and 1990s, due to poaching sprees, the population of Tibetan antelopes in Hol Xil dropped to less than 20,000.
Tibetan antelopes now enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The species plays a key role in maintaining the ecological balance of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. ■
