Stories of High-Quality Development | A 'kindergarten' for Tibetan antelopes in Hoh Xil

In the source regions of the Yangtze, Yellow, and Lancang rivers lies Hoh Xil, in Northwest China's Qinghai province, on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, which averages 4,600 meters in altitude and was once known as a "life forbidden zone." A group of people silently guard this sacred land and its most lively residents — the Tibetan antelope.

Here, staff at the Sonam Dargye Protection Station patrol daily to protect the area and its residents.

Each summer, tens of thousands of females migrate to Zonag Lake in the heart of Hoh Xil to give birth. Tibetan antelope cubs are susceptible to getting separated from the herd. The wildlife rescue center at the Sonam Dargye Protection Station serves as a temporary safe haven — affectionately called a "kindergarten for Tibetan antelopes" by the staff. Older calves also receive wildness training to prepare for release.

The guardians' hard work has paid off. Decades ago, poaching reduced the population of Tibetan antelopes in Hoh Xil to under 20,000. Today, the population has recovered to over 70,000.