Herders accept restrictions to let antelopes survive
Print Edition
August is the best time of year in Changtang in the north of Tibet Autonomous Region, with its luscious green grassland, but this summer some of that grass is off limits to herders.
At Kyidra Buga village, a 2,000-hectare ranch is only open to herders for three months a year.
“This is where we nurture the new-born calves and lambs. It is only open for pregnant animals before and after their birth. It is open to herding from early April to June,” said Tamtar, Party secretary of the village from 2013 to 2016.
The grassland is sealed off because it is also home to around 300 Tibetan antelopes, a protected species.
Tibetan antelopes usually migrate between different grasslands, but this group settled in October 1997 and never left.
“About 15 antelopes appeared at the ranch after a snowstorm. They were crammed against each other for warmth. Outside the ranch, several sheep died of frost. I thought if I drove them away, they would surely die like those sheep,” said Gatse, the village’s current Party secretary.
“The grass at the ranch was of very good quality, and when the snow started to thaw, the grass showed. The hungry antelopes saw the grass and scaled the fence to come in,” Gatse said.
He reported the arrival of the antelopes to the government. In 1999, Gatse was appointed a part-time patroller to protect the animals, receiving 600 yuan (US$91) a month for his efforts.
Some herders complain, Gatse said, but he explains the reasons for the restrictions.
“For over 20 years, there was not a single incident of harming the animals,” he said.
Gatse makes four trips a month to the ranch to check the water, collect trash and help the antelopes where needed. He’s helped by six other families.
Ren Chuncheng, an agriculture and herding bureau official, said it was rare for Tibetan antelopes to settle in one area.
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