Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has rented a helicopter to observe wild camels and count the population of the endangered species.

The helicopter will help zoologists with the Lop Nur Wild Camel Nature Reserve collect firsthand information about the living condition of wild camels and find out the percentage of camel cubs in the entire population.

"The data, plus other information collected from our patrol at the 78,000-square kilometer nature reserve, will produce a more precise analysis of the species," said Zhang Yu, vice director of the reserve.

Zhang said it is otherwise difficult to count wild camels' population because the animal is too alert to be approached by human beings.

Wild camels are even rarer than giant pandas and experts say its population is about 800 around the world. The arid Lop Nur Lake and marshlands in Xinjiang are home to 400 to 500 of the endangered creatures.

The Lop Nur Wild Camel Nature Reserve in the southern part of Xinjiang was jointly established by the Chinese government and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to restore camel habitats, crack down on poaching, and develop strategies to boost breeding and reduce risks of in-breeding of the wild camels.  

(Xinhua News Agency December 22, 2004)