Thousands of Tibetan antelopes have been photographed migrating in Gerze County, Ngari Prefecture in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, a rare scene here in recent years. /Courtesy of Cao Zhiqing

Sonam Rinchen, one of the photographers, told CGTN that he captured the spectacle on Tuesday and Wednesday. The antelopes, estimated at about 3,000, were migrating towards the depopulated zone in two groups – male and female. /Courtesy of Sonam Rinchen

Tibetan antelope, under China's state class one protection, can be found on alpine steppes, meadows and alpine deserts between 3,700 and 5,500 meters above sea level. /Courtesy of Sonam Rinchen

They mainly inhabit the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region, specifically western Qinghai, Tibet and southern Xinjiang. Each summer, they would migrate north along the fixed route. /Courtesy of Cao Zhiqing

Tibetan antelopes are talented runners, with a maximum speed of about 80 kilometers per hour. /Courtesy of Sonam Rinchen

During the 1980s and 1990s, Tibetan antelopes became endangered due to massive illegal poaching. /Courtesy of Sonam Rinchen

As the government beefs up protection of the species, the population has significantly increased in recent years. In Hoh Xil Nature Reserve in Qinghai, the number has exceeded 60,000. /Courtesy of Sonam Rinchen

The Gerze County government said they have been working on raising the public's legal and ecological protection awareness in different ways. /Courtesy of Sonam Rinchen