Want China Times, Xinhua 2014-07-13
Thanks to
protection efforts, Tibet's wildlife population has increased by 30% over the
past two decades, according to Tsongkha, deputy chief of Tibet's regional
forestry department.
"In
the remote pastureland of Nagqu prefecture alone, there are more than 10,000
wild yaks, 100,000 Tibetan antelopes and at least 80,000 wild donkeys," he
added.
These
remote areas are sparsely populated by humans, who number only about 12,000.
Most are herders raising a total of 1 million heads of cattle.
While human
activities are inevitably a disturbance, wild animals sometimes also put man's
life and property at risk, said Wu Haipeng, party chief of the forestry bureau
in Nagqu Prefecture.
Last year,
95% of the townships and villages in Nagqu saw disturbances caused by brown
bears, wolves, lynxes or snow leopards, Wu said. Three people, including a
teenager, died after being attacked by wild animals, and seven were injured.
Wild animal
attacks also killed more than 50,000 heads of cattle in Nagqu, said Wu.
Last year,
the local government paid 21 million yuan (US$3.4 million) in compensation for
losses caused to herders as a result of wild animals, according to Wu.
Across
Tibet, such compensation totaled 340 million yuan (US$55 million) from 2006 to
the end of 2013.
To avoid
further damages, the local government has stepped up safety education among the
herders.
"We
keep telling the herders to properly dispose of butchered cattle to avoid
drawing wild animals into villages," said Wu. "When a brown bear is
in sight, it is advisable to beat drums and gongs or light up a fire to scare
it away."
Forestry
workers must discover new ways to drive away wild animals without injuring
them, he said. "This is because many animals, not knowing that people once
killed, are now completely unafraid of human beings."
Wildlife
conservation specialists say it is crucial to find out more about the habitat
and nature of Tibet's wild animals, why they attack and how to prevent
tragedies.
Despite the
tough, low-oxygen plateau environment, the Changtang Grassland, located in the
heart of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is an ideal habitat for wild animals, with
its grass, lakes and ample sunshine.
Animals are
reproducing fast on the grasslands as more nature reserves have been built
exclusively for wildlife and the locals have long given up hunting.
Brown
bears, wild yaks, snow leopards and Himalayan blue sheep are among the most
frequently reported "troublemakers," according to Tsongkha.
One Tibetan
herder said he once came home to find a brown bear sitting in a corner of his
house drinking a can of soda water.
Scared as
he was, he knew it was illegal to kill the bear, as it is listed as an
endangered species by the Chinese government. Unable to scare the bear out, the
herder could only seek help from the local forestry authority.
A growing
number of Tibetan herders have had similar encounters with wild animals in the
Changtang Grassland.
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