The first group of 158 Tibetan antelopes began their annual migration on May 7, braving snow and strong winds across Hoh Xil in NW China’s Qinghai Province. The herd was spotted near the Wudaoliang Protection Station along the Qinghai-Xizang Highway inside Sanjiangyuan National Park. 

Their journey marks the start of the 2026 Tibetan antelope migration season. Every year from May to July, female Tibetan antelopes travel hundreds of kilometers from Qinghai, the Xizang Autonomous Region and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to the Zhuonai Lake area in Hoh Xil to give birth. The migration is considered one of the world’s most spectacular large-scale wildlife migrations. 

In recent years, local authorities have stepped up protection efforts through regular patrols, anti-poaching campaigns and traffic controls along migration routes. Thanks to decades of conservation, the Tibetan antelope population in Hoh Xil has rebounded from fewer than 20,000 to more than 70,000 today.