Nature
2022.01.25 17:45 GMT+8

You've seen shepherd dogs, but he has a 'shepherd gazelle'

Updated 2022.01.25 17:45 GMT+8
By Xing Fangyu

Winter mornings at Qinghai Lake are extremely cold, with temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius. However, the cold weather and hard winds can't stop a female Przewalski's gazelle named Dong Dong from walking to the entrance of a protection station and waiting for her best friend, Wu Yonglin.

When she hears Wu's footsteps, she approaches the gate and joins Wu as he patrols the area to make sure all the herds are safe and sound.

Dong Dong, a 4-year-old female Przewalski's gazelle who was rescued and raised by Wu Yonglin, Qinghai Lake, December 22, 2021. /CGTN

Wu, 58, has worked in the administration department of the Qinghai Lake National Nature Reserve for 18 years. He has a passion for the conservation of Przewalski's gazelles.

The gazelle was once widespread in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and provinces such as Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai and others. Due to human activity and habitat loss, its population was below 300 – less than the giant panda – in an investigation conducted in the 1990s.

Dong Dong and Wu Yonglin, Qinghai Lake, December 22, 2021. /CGTN

The protection station that Wu works in was founded in 2004 to breed endangered species as well as provide shelter for rescued gazelles.

Dong Dong was rescued by Wu after she was found on the eastern bank of Qinghai Lake, abandoned by her mother. The gazelle has embraced her new family in the protection station after being raised by Wu.

The pals check out big herds in the distance, Qinghai Lake, December 22, 2021. /CGTN

In 2021, Wu noticed that the little one was different from the other gazelles in the station. Przewalski's gazelles are extremely alert and cautious. The big herds always remain at a safe distance, even from Wu, who has taken care of them for years.

But Dong Dong, on the contrary, is like a "shepherd gazelle," following Wu to check her herd's safety. Only when Wu leaves the field will Dong Dong return to her herd. 

Dong Dong catches up with Wu, Qinghai Lake, December 22, 2021. /CGTN

After years of protection, the population of Przewalski's gazelles has increased to 2,700, according to data released in August 2021.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at nature@cgtn.com.)

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