Five Tibetan antelopes released in Qinghai nature reserve

Five baby Tibetan antelopes rescued by patrolmen between 2018 and 2020 were released into the wild on Wednesday at the Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve under the Sanjiangyuan National Park in Northwest China's Qinghai province, the park's management bureau said on Friday.

The Tibetan antelopes were rescued by patrolmen at Tsonai Lake, dubbed the "delivery room" for the species at the heart of Hoh Xil, and they were identified as lost or abandoned by their mothers when found, said Dawa Drolma, an official of the Administrative Bureau of the Sanjiangyuan National Park.

The released Tibetan antelopes are two females and three males, and they have been cared for and nurtured by the patrolmen after being rescued and taken to the Hoh Xil Wild Life Rescue Center, Dawa Drolma said. The antelopes are very fragile and vulnerable to predators, and they were released into the wild after they became fully adapted to their natural habitat environment, according to the bureau.

The Hoh Xil Wild Life Rescue Center was established in 2002. Up to now, more than 600 wild species have been rescued there, including more than 50 Tibetan antelopes that were released into the wild after rescue.

Tibetan antelopes are mostly found in Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, and Northwest China's Qinghai province and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, and the animals are under first-class state protection in China.

Thanks to reinforced protection efforts, the Hoh Xil Nature Reserve has not reported any poaching cases for 11 consecutive years, and the population of Tibetan antelopes in the area has nearly reached 70,000.