Chinese oryx on the shore of Qinghai Lake

Chinese oryx on the shore of Qinghai Lake

Zhao Jiulian

The Chinese Gazelle is the most beautiful antelope in the world. It is a species unique to China and is now only distributed in the grasslands along the Qinghai Lake at an altitude of 3,400 meters. It is commonly known as yellow sheep, beach yellow sheep, and beach gazelle in Qinghai. Its Latin name is Procapra przewalskii, and its English name is Przewalski's Gazelle. It is commonly known as Przewalski's Gazelle internationally. It belongs to the genus Procapra, Bovidae, Antelope, Artiodactyla, and Bovidae. It is alert and once frightened, it will run with its front and back limbs together, and its two hind legs will push back hard, and its body will jump into the air, like an arrow from a string, with graceful jumping ups and downs, and the posture of supporting itself when landing. The white hair on its buttocks is particularly eye-catching. It can reach 80 kilometers per hour. They generally do not move to higher mountains or pure Gobi areas.

・ Elves・

The Chinese horned antelope is about 1 meter long and 50 centimeters high, with black lips, snow-white hair under the jaw, abdomen, buttocks, and inside of the limbs. In summer, the whole body is brown-yellow, and after molting in autumn and winter, the color becomes lighter and becomes sandy yellow or milky white. An adult female antelope weighs about 23 kilograms, and females do not have horns. An adult male antelope weighs about 27 kilograms. The male antelope has a pair of handsome black horns with ring edges, about 30 centimeters long. The lower half of the horn is thick, and the tip of the horn is significantly bent inward and slightly upward, forming a relatively hooked curve at the end. This is different from the horns of the goitered antelope, which are bent inward and backward, and are also clearly different from the Mongolian antelope, the saiga antelope, the Tibetan antelope, and the Tibetan antelope.

The Chinese horned antelope was once active in Qinghai, Tibet, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu, Xinjiang and other provinces (autonomous regions). By the 1990s, the shores of Qinghai Lake became their only habitat, and now only two or three hundred of them remain. They live in 12 distribution areas around Qinghai Lake, namely Yuanzhe, Hudong, Wayu, Ranquhu in Gonghe County, Ketu, Shadao, Ganzihe, Talexuanguo in Haiyan County, Hargai and Bird Island in Gangcha County, and Shengge and Kuerma in Tianjun County. The population is less than one-sixth of that of the giant panda and is on the verge of extinction. But in the not-so-distant 1950s, there were tens of thousands of Chinese horned antelopes living on the southern shore of Qinghai Lake alone. They can be found everywhere on the hillsides and rivers of the Gonghe Basin. The shepherd will feed the abandoned young antelope with milk. The young antelope will follow the shepherd wherever he goes. The shepherd's prayer wheel will turn in the wind, and the bell tied around the young antelope's neck will jingle. When the young antelope grows up and meets a herd of gazelles, the shepherd will release it.

However, why has the number of Chinese horned antelopes dropped precipitously in just a few decades? The root cause lies in human activities. Since the 1960s, poaching, habitat destruction, climate factors, population growth, etc. have caused severe damage to the Chinese horned antelope population and its number has continued to decline. In 1989, China listed the Chinese horned antelope as a national first-class protected animal; in 1999, it was also listed as a critically endangered animal in the China Red List of Endangered Mammals. It is one of the 15 wild animals that my country urgently needs to save. In 1996, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) rated it as critically endangered (CR); the Global Antelope Conservation Action Plan listed it as the first endangered sheep species.

Qinghai Lake is a sapphire inlaid in the northeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is called "Cowinbu" in Tibetan, which means a cyan lake, and "Kukunor" in Mongolian, which means "blue ocean". It is the largest inland saltwater lake in my country. The area of ​​Qinghai Lake is 4,456 square kilometers, and the circumference of the lake is more than 360 kilometers. The lake is long from east to west and narrow from north to south, and is slightly oval in shape. Qinghai Lake was formed by fault collapse and is surrounded by towering mountains: Datong Mountain of the Qilian Mountains to the north, Riyue Mountain to the east, Qinghai Nanshan to the south, and Rubber Mountain to the west. The altitudes of these mountains are between 3,600 and 5,000 meters. The Qinghai Lake Basin belongs to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau biota and is one of the important wetlands in my country. It has played an irreplaceable and huge role in enriching the biodiversity of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, regulating the climate in the northwest region, maintaining water conservation, and maintaining ecological balance.

The natural vegetation in the Qinghai Lake Basin includes five types: shrubs, grasslands, deserts, meadows, swamps and aquatic vegetation, with temperate grasslands, temperate desert grasslands and alpine swamp meadows as the main types. The plant composition is complex, with many plant species, including seed plants, ferns, mosses, fungi, algae and lichens. The Chinese horned gazelle is a representative species of the special zone of the lakeside grassland. Perhaps its migration evolution is closely related to the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. In the interlaced zone between the lakeside and the grassland, it is an independent population with its own subspecies, and is a typical small intensive feeding ruminant. It inhabits sand dunes, gentle slopes and mountains with vegetation types such as ephedra, Achnatherum splendens, moss, sand whip, wolfsbane and Artemisia. It feeds on the tender branches, stems and leaves of Gramineae, Cyperaceae and other sand plants, and dry grass stems and dead leaves in winter. It eats less and more meals and has strong drought resistance.

Chinese horned antelopes gather in groups of the same sex during the non-breeding season. In summer, there are usually several or more than ten antelopes, and in winter, each group can reach more than 30 antelopes. They migrate following the water and grass. Their vision and hearing are very developed, but their sense of smell is poor. From December to January of the following year is the mating season, and males and females gather together to form a large breeding group. Males compete for mates, but the fight is not fierce. The winner leads several to more than 20 female antelopes to move together. The loser often follows the group to wait for an opportunity to mate, or leaves to find a new love. Sometimes there is also the phenomenon of one male and one female "living together".

During the birthing period, the group will temporarily disband, and male antelopes will form small groups or move alone without feeding their young. Female antelopes will give birth alone in more secluded places such as bushes in valleys. Female antelopes give birth in July, with one or two calves per litter. The calves can stand up within a few minutes after birth and move around with the mother until they reach adulthood.

Ge Yuxiu, who was once named China's Green Person of the Year and the first person in the world to take a photo of this plateau elf, insists that this plateau antelope is the "Chinese horned antelope." Over the years, he has used his spare time to take a large number of pictures of wild animals.

In 1995, the photographer heard that this highland elf was only distributed around Qinghai Lake, and there were less than 300 left. He checked a lot of information, but there were no photos. The only picture was hand-drawn, with the text below recording Przewalski's gazelle.

In late November 1997, the photographer went to Qinghai Lake to photograph swans. At the mouth of the Buha River, he encountered seven yellow-brown sheep-like animals running in a line on the grassland. The staff of the Qinghai Lake Nature Reserve who was traveling with him shouted: "Przewalski's gazelle", and Ge Yuxiu quickly raised his camera to capture it. Later, experts confirmed that this photo filled the gap in the picture of "Przewalski's gazelle". This is the first photo in China and the first in the world to capture this plateau antelope.

The photographer got up early and stayed up late, and the pictures he took were getting better and better. He even took pictures of these cute elves courting, mating, jumping, standing upright, and running. However, after reading the "Biography of Przewalski" and knowing the origin of the name of Przewalski's gazelle, Ge Yuxiu felt that it was a pity that the history ran through the mountains and rivers of the grassland, and the species unique to China were given foreign names! If the yellow sheep or the beach yellow sheep is the nickname called by the people of Qinghai, it should also have a scientific name that represents China. Hasn't the Przewalski's gazelle been replaced by the "naked carp of Qinghai Lake" long ago?

In August 2004, the opinions of relevant experts were sought. Considering the fact that this plateau antelope is rooted in Chinese soil and the fact that the male has a pair of black ring-shaped horns that bend towards each other, the author wrote: "Its horns are very symmetrical, and it is the most beautiful among antelopes. So I call it the Chinese horned antelope." From then on, this plateau elf unique to the Qinghai Lake had a resounding Chinese name - "Chinese horned antelope." Ge Yuxiu made the exhibition board at his own expense, called for protection, and launched a "Save the Chinese horned antelope" publicity signature campaign on the "Qinghai Qing" website. These actions of Ge Yuxiu attracted the attention and recognition of all sectors of society.

In 2006, the organizing committee of the 5th Tour of Qinghai Lake International Cycling Race designated the Chinese horned gazelle as the mascot of the "Tour of Qinghai Lake Race" and created a cartoon image of "Doji".

・ Past ・

This ancient antelope living on the shores of Qinghai Lake is known internationally as the "Przewalski's gazelle". It is a "highland spirit" that has experienced many hardships. In 1872, a team of Russian soldiers set out from Demen, Beijing, to investigate the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. This was instructed by the Tsarist government and the Russian Army Department, led by the Russian officer Nikolai Przevasky, to collect intelligence for possible future military operations. During the "Ussuri trip", this expedition team explored the route to the border between China and North Korea; during the four "Central Asian trips", they stole a large amount of intelligence on China's politics, military, ethnicity, etc.

The expedition team, riding camels and horses, walked through the Mongolian Plateau and the Hexi Corridor in tattered clothes and covered in dust. It was Przewalski's lifelong dream to reach the Tibetan Plateau. They surveyed the roads and mapped them. It was a long journey, and because they did not carry enough food, they frantically hunted wild animals along the way to provide food for the expedition team.

The photographer got up early and stayed up late, and the pictures he took were getting better and better. He even took pictures of these cute elves courting, mating, jumping, standing upright, and running. However, after reading the "Biography of Przewalski" and knowing the origin of the name of Przewalski's gazelle, Ge Yuxiu felt that it was a pity that the history ran through the mountains and rivers of the grassland, and the species unique to China were given foreign names! If the yellow sheep or the beach yellow sheep is the nickname called by the people of Qinghai, it should also have a scientific name that represents China. Hasn't the Przewalski's gazelle been replaced by the "naked carp of Qinghai Lake" long ago?

In August 2004, the opinions of relevant experts were sought. Considering the fact that this plateau antelope is rooted in Chinese soil and the fact that the male has a pair of black ring-shaped horns that bend towards each other, the author wrote: "Its horns are very symmetrical, and it is the most beautiful among antelopes. So I call it the Chinese horned antelope." From then on, this plateau elf unique to the Qinghai Lake had a resounding Chinese name - "Chinese horned antelope." Ge Yuxiu made the exhibition board at his own expense, called for protection, and launched a "Save the Chinese horned antelope" publicity signature campaign on the "Qinghai Qing" website. These actions of Ge Yuxiu attracted the attention and recognition of all sectors of society.

In 2006, the organizing committee of the 5th Tour of Qinghai Lake International Cycling Race designated the Chinese horned gazelle as the mascot of the "Tour of Qinghai Lake Race" and created a cartoon image of "Doji".

·Protect·

With the development of modern human civilization, the construction of houses, roads, railways and fences has caused the habitat of the Chinese Oryx to shrink continuously. This not only makes them more vulnerable to attacks by wolves and other animals, but also encounters a new "killer", namely the invisible squeeze of pastures, which hinders the migration and genetic exchange between their populations, leading to inbreeding and racial degeneration.

At the same time, the state and other levels have begun to protect the Chinese horned antelope. Protecting biodiversity is protecting humanity itself. Around 2002, civilian guns were surrendered, poaching was curbed, fences were removed or lowered, migration routes were opened, and supplementary feeding and water were provided, and treatment and breeding were carried out. Since 2007, "Chinese horned antelope special protection areas" have been established on the shores of Qinghai Lake. The survival status of the Chinese horned antelope has improved. In 2008, the number increased to more than 1,000, and the IUCN downgraded its status from "critically endangered" to "endangered".

As the water level of Qinghai Lake continues to rise, the original Qinghai Lake Bird Island beach, which covered an area of ​​more than 10 square kilometers, has only some sand dunes exposed above the water, and the breeding center built by the Qinghai Lake Nature Reserve has sunk underwater. However, the Chinese horned gazelles are reluctant to leave their homeland and still live on this sandy land. In the upper reaches of the nearby Buha River, there is no beach near the habitat of the Chinese horned gazelles, but they still survive well, basking in the sun in the sheltered valleys in the winter and resting in the shade of the bushes in the summer.

On the east bank of Qinghai Lake, the clear water is connected to the green grass, and the green grass is connected to a desert with an area of ​​203 square kilometers, which is rarely visited by people. Faced with the squeeze of human activities, the Chinese horned gazelle has also developed its own way of survival, hiding in the wide desert by the lake. This unique geographical landscape has become their home to shelter them. Every day before the sun rises, they quietly come to the grassland, chewing grass and licking raindrops. When the herdsmen drive the cattle and sheep approach, they will quickly leave the grassland and hide in the desert to slowly ruminate. When the sunset sets and the grassland is quiet, they come out of the desert and look for food on the grassland again.

The latest monitoring data shows that there are 14 wild populations of Chinese horned antelopes, with a total number of more than 2,700. Fifteen Chinese horned antelope babies have been born in the protection station on the south bank of Qinghai Lake. The lake water sparkles quietly in the sun. I live with these beautiful and ancient plateau elves on the shore of Qinghai Lake. It is such a harmonious picture of harmonious coexistence between man and nature...

The wind blows over Qinghai Lake, and the grassland is covered with green grass. The Chinese antelopes are like poems, leaping over the shallow sand slopes and running between the mountains and rivers. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the homeland that countless people yearn for. If one day, you and these plateau elves are looking at each other from afar by the Qinghai Lake, please call them by their name, "Chinese antelopes!"

The Chinese oriole, walking in the nomadic world along the shores of Qinghai Lake, enriches the human soul with its noble simplicity and quiet greatness.