Posted on 23-6-2003
Tibetan
Wildlife Recovering from Illegal Slaughter
Photo shows Chiru browsing on the Tibetan plateau
Photo by George Schaller courtesy TRAFFIC
June 20, 2003 (ENS)
- Wild animals on the Tibetan plateau that were illegally hunted
to the brink of extinction just 10 years ago are beginning to
recover, according to biologist Dr. George Schaller of the New
York based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
A survey conducted this spring by Dr. Schaller and scientists
with the Tibet Forestry Department, Peking University and Shanghai's
East China Normal University, found increasing populations of
Tibetan antelope or chiru, Tibetan gazelles, wild asses and
wild yak. Dr. Schaller reports that populations of these animals
are growing compared to previous surveys he took 10 years earlier
around the Chang Tang Reserve, an enormous wildlife sanctuary
WCS helped create in 1993. Back then, poachers were wiping out
chiru by the thousands for their soft, fine wool which is woven
into shahtoosh shawls, for illegal sale in the lucrative high
fashion markets of Europe and the United States.
Schaller now says that 10 years later, Tibet's Forest Department
has made wildlife protection a priority, with the result that
populations of rare animals are rebounding. "Protection
of wildlife in the region has greatly improved during the past
decade," said Schaller. "Patrols search for poachers,
guns have been confiscated, and education has created awareness
about wildlife laws among nomads and officials," he said.
According to Schaller's surveys, populations of chiru have risen
from an estimated 3,900 in 1991 to 5,890, while wild asses or
kiang had jumped from 1,224 to 2,241. Tibetan gazelles grew
from 352 to 487, and numbers of wild yak jumped from 13 to an
estimated 187 plus. "The Tibet Forestry Department has
obviously made a dedicated and successful effort to protect
wildlife in the area, Schaller said.
Still, Schaller warned that Tibet's Forestry Department must
manage species to reduce conflicts with the growing human population
in the area. For example, wild yaks sometimes attack and kill
people during their rut in August and September, resulting in
problem animals being shot. This could be largely prevented
by educating people to keep a safe distance from bulls during
the mating season. Meanwhile populations of kiang sometimes
destroy fences by running into them, which could be avoided
by simply hanging pieces of cloth or plastic to ward off animals.
Competition between kiang and domestic livestock is a more complex
issue currently being studied. The Wildlife Conservation Society
has identified other more detailed solutions to better protect
wildlife in Tibet, and is looking to work more closely with
Tibet's Forestry Department toward that end.
Dr. Schaller, an American zoologist, was born in 1933 in Berlin
and moved to Missouri as a teenager. Currently, vice president
of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Science and Exploration
Program and holder of the Ella Millbank Foshay Chair in Wildlife
Conservation, Schaller spends most of his time in the field.
Spending most of the past 50 years in the wilds of Asia, Africa,
and South America, Dr. Schaller has studied and helped protect
animals as diverse as the mountain gorilla, the giant panda,
the tiger, the lion, and the wild sheep and goats of the Himalayas.
His studies have been the basis for his numerous scientific
and popular writings. The winner of several awards, including
the National Book award, his 15 books include "The Serengeti
Lion," "The Year of the Gorilla," and "The
Last Panda."
For the past decade, Dr. Schaller has studied wildlife mainly
in Mongolia, Laos, and the Tibetan Plateau of China. Two of
his most recent books are "Tibet's Hidden Wilderness"
and "Wildlife of the Tibetan Steppe."
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