Tibetan antelopes migrate to Hoh Xil Nature Reserve

Every year from May to July, female Tibetan antelopes from Sanjiangyuan region of Qinghai, parts of the Qiangtang Terrane in Xizang and the Altun Mountains in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region migrate to give birth in the hinterland of Lake Zhuonai in Hoh Xil and then return to their original habitats with their offspring after the birthing season.

To protect the migration of Tibetan antelopes, the Hoh Xil management authority has set up the Wudaoliang protection station. On the morning of May 7, the first batch of 47 female Tibetan antelopes migrated from here towards Lake Zhuonai, marking the beginning of the annual great migration of Tibetan antelopes. So far, the station has monitored a total of over 700 migrating Tibetan antelopes.

Lian Xinming, a researcher at the Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said, "For Tibetan antelopes, we divide them into six species groups according to their geographical distribution. For example, Qinghai and Xinjiang have one group each. For Xizang, there are three species groups in the east, central and west of the Qiangtang Terrane. And there is also one group in southern Qiangtang Terrane, which don't migrate."

With an average altitude exceeding 4,600 meters, the Hoh Xil Nature Reserve is renowned as a "no-life zone" due to its thin air and low oxygen levels. Nonetheless, it serves as a crucial habitat for Tibetan antelopes, which can attain speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour while running. Lian explained the reasons behind their remarkable speed, citing their underfur's warmth and their physiological adaptation, including their high blood oxygen capacity.

The Tibetan antelope is under first-class state protection in China. After years of conservation efforts, the Tibetan antelope population in the Hoh Xil region has surged from less than 20,000 in the late 1980s to over 70,000 at present.

(Cover image is a screenshot)