The population of Tibetan antelopes, which were once rampantly
poached, has grown to 70,000 from 50,000 in 1997 in the Tibet
Autonomous Region, thanks to protection efforts, according to local
wildlife protection authorities.
"Tibetan antelopes began to enter a new period of rapidly restoring
their population in 2001," said Zhoimayangzom, chief official of
the wildlife protection section with the Tibet Regional Forestry
Department.
According to a report on China's most endangered species released
in 1997, there were only 50,000 Tibetan antelopes in Tibet, with
another 25,000 in its neighboring western Qinghai Province and
15,000 in northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
The antelope, which tops the state protection list for its
uniqueness to China, scatter around the 600,000 square kilometers
of neighboring nature reserves consisting of the Qiangtang Nature
Reserve in Tibet, the Hoh Xil Nature Reserve in Qinghai and the
Mount Altun Nature Reserve in Xinjiang.
"Active protection is the major factor behind the increase of
Tibetan antelopes," said Zhoimayangzom. "About 4,000 antelopes were
illegally poached every year in the mid-1990s in Tibet alone and
that figure has been reduced to 300 or 400 now."
The poachers are usually driven by high profits from selling
Tibetan antelope fur to international traffickers for making
shahtoosh shawls, which costs the lives of three to five Tibetan
antelopes to make one.
Meanwhile, work has started on the establishment of a breeding
center for the rare animal in Tibet.
"If the plan succeeds, it would be another 'Save the Giant Panda'
campaign by our government," said Zhoimayangzom.
(eastday.com March 27, 2003)