In winter, Hoh Xil drips into ice. At the foot of the majestic Kunlun Mountain, the vast white snow covers the hustle and bustle of animal paradise in the past. On the eastern edge of the reserve, a golden statue of a Tibetan antelope glitters in the morning light, making it the only human landmark in the wilderness.
It is a World Natural Heritage Site of Hoh Xili, with an average altitude of more than 4,600 meters. On January 18, Deng Haiping, Caiwen Dorje and Jiang Cuo, members of the patrol team of the Sonam Dajie Conservation Station of the Hoh Xil Management Office of the Yangtze River Source Park of the Sanjiangyuan National Park Administration, set off from the protection station to start a day of patrolling the station.
The three-person team first arrived at the wildlife rescue center behind the conservation station, which covers an area of 550 acres and is divided into two net fence areas, large and small. Tsewen Dorje carefully opened the gate of the fence, but it was so cold that his fingers were glued to the lock.
After a simple wipe of his bleeding fingers with toilet paper, Tsewen Dorje and his companion counted the sheep in the small enclosure: "One, two, three......."There are nine of them, and one is no less. As he spoke, Tsewen Dorje crouched down to observe the droppings left by the antelope hidden in the enclosure. "These nine little Tibetan antelopes have been rescued by the mountain patrol members from Zhuo Nai Lake in Hoh Xil one after another in recent years, and the weather is cold in winter, and they are most afraid of their stomachs. Tsewen Dorje said.
Caiwen Dorje, a member of the Hoh Xil Mountain Ranger, spends time with rescued Tibetan antelope cubs at the Sonam Dajie Conservation Station (photo taken on January 18). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Hongxiang.
The Tibetan antelope is a national first-class key protected animal. From May to July every year, female Tibetan antelopes from Sanjiangyuan in Qinghai, Qiangtang in Qinghai and Altun Mountain in Xinjiang migrate to Zhuo Nai Lake in the hinterland of Hoh Xil to give birth to their calves.
The sheep walk in front, and the wolf chases behind. "Some small Tibetan antelopes tend to get separated from their flocks when they encounter bad weather and natural predators. Fortunately, during the patrol process, the Hoh Xil mountain rangers will carry this "lonely" little Tibetan antelope back to the protection station. Over time, a "Tibetan antelope kindergarten" was established at the Sonam Dajie Conservation Station.
Caiwen Dorje, a member of the Hoh Xil Mountain Ranger, spends time with rescued Tibetan antelope cubs at the Sonam Dajie Conservation Station (photo taken on January 18). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Hongxiang.
Through our rescue, more than 50 baby Tibetan antelopes have been brought back to nature from the wildlife rescue center. Deng Haiping said and walked to the big fence on the side, he took out a telescope to observe the situation inside the fence, and told reporters: "There are two Tibetan antelopes and one Tibetan antelope in the big fence, and these three 'little guys' are receiving rewilding training, we can only watch from a distance, not too close." ”
After patrolling the wildlife rescue center, it was already dawn. Just as he was about to return to the protection station, Tsewen Dorje pointed to the corner of the fence and mysteriously said to reporters, "Don't you see a pair of eyes looking at you in the distance?" ”
Following the direction of Caiwen Dorje's finger, a giant buzzard appeared in front of the reporter's eyes.
The mountain patrol team told reporters that the giant buzzard with an injured wing was found by the mountain patrol team members while patrolling near the protection station. In order to make the bustard ** as soon as possible, the team members "contributed" the beef stored in the protection station for the winter. "The three of us discussed it, and we left the meat for the Spring Festival buns, and the rest belonged to it. Tsewen Dorje said with a smile.
After returning to the protection station, the three patrol members did not rest. They took out a mountain patrol log, blew on their palms with a sigh of air, and recorded them one by one: "No abnormalities were found in the net fence today, and the Tibetan antelope rescued was in good health." "A herd of Tibetan antelopes was found at kilometer 2,978 of the Qinghai-Tibet Highway" and "No vehicles were found to enter the reserve on the patrol line today......Looking through this patrol log, it records the daily patrol route of the station's patrol members, covering an area of 600 square kilometers around the protection station.
No man's land, manned. The perseverance of the rangers has witnessed the ecological changes in Hoh Xil, and now the population of Tibetan antelopes here has recovered from less than 20,000 in the late 80s of the 20th century to more than 70,000.
Three members of the patrol told reporters that their duty at the station would not end until March 1. Talking about his wishes for the Chinese New Year, Ranger member Tsewen Dorje said: "I hope that the little Tibetan antelope rescued will grow up and return to their home as soon as possible. (Reporter Wang Jinjin, Zhou Shengsheng, Li Zhanyi).