Antelopes migrate each year into the heart of Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve in northwest China. On Monday morning, a group of about 50 Tibetan antelopes were spotted gathering on the side of the Qinghai-Tibet highway. As a precautionary measure, nature reserve staff conducted temporary traffic control to ensure safety.
After the leading wildebeest carefully assessed the safety of the environment, the entire herd quickly crossed the road and made its way into the vast hinterland of Hoh Xil. Each year, tens of thousands of pregnant Tibetan wildebeest begin migrating to Hoh Xil around May to give birth and leave with their young in late July.
“As the weather improves, there has been an increase in the number of Tibetan antelopes crossing the highway to Zonag Lake in Hoh Xil,” said Gyaom Dorge, Wudaoliang conservation station employee of the Hoh Xil management bureau.
More than a thousand Tibetan antelopes have passed near the station on their way to Hoh Xil since this year's migration began on April 26, nine days earlier than last year. Patrol and monitoring has been increased along the migration route to ensure that species reach their breeding points undisturbed.
Under first-class government protection in China, the once endangered species is mostly found in Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and Xinjiagn Uyghur Autonomous Region. Their populations have increased over the past 30 years, thanks to a ban on poaching and other measures to improve their habitat.