Wuhan in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River
It is tied to the source of the Yangtze River
Changes in the source of the Yangtze River
It is related to the health of the mother river Yangtze River
Around July 20
A reporter from the Yangtze River Daily visited the source of the Yangtze River
Recuperate
There are more and more wild animals in the source of the Yangtze River
Man and nature live in harmony
"A river of clear water flows eastward"
Ecological landscapes can be seen everywhere
On the morning of July 21, Bu Baiqun, a 47-year-old Tibetan herdsman in Gezhiluo Village, Tanggulashan Town, Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, wore a down jacket and drove his family's 240 yaks on a motorcycle to graze at the source of the Yangtze River. He said that in recent years, after the state implemented the policy of ecological migration and returning grazing land to grassland, the grass on the mountain has grown more luxuriant than before, and there have been more wild animals such as Tibetan wild donkeys and Tibetan antelopes. From time to time, wild yaks would sneak into his family's yak herd as "cow king", and he could often hear the sound of Tibetan antelopes and Tibetan wild donkeys nibbling on grass.
Cloth white herds grazing.
Grazing while guarding the grazing
On a hillside 20 kilometres north of the town of Tanggula Hill, a fenced courtyard wall made of mud and petrol barrels encloses two low brick houses. Outside the courtyard walls are piles of yak dung, and white cooking smoke from the burning of yak dung rises from the roof.
Bu Bai Group's home in the ranch. Photo by special correspondent He Xiaogang
On July 19, the reporter knocked on the door of the courtyard wall, and the 17-year-old young owner ZejiraMao greeted him. She is currently a sophomore in golmud National High School, and every winter and summer vacation, she returns to the pastoral area to help her parents do some housework.
Zejiramao helps his mother with housework. Photo by special correspondent He Xiaogang
A few kilometers away, Zejiramao's father, Bubai Qun, was herding yaks on his ranch and wandering under the blue sky with 240 yaks. "It's said to be grazing, but I put more energy into grazing because this is the source of the Yangtze River." The tools used to graze in the cloth white herds were motorcycles, not horses. Several bags on the back shelf of the motorcycle were bulging with plastic garbage he had picked up on the prairie. He said he is still a grassland ecological steward, protecting grasslands and wildlife at the same time.
"In the past, when I saw wild animals, I always went to drive them away; Now, I not only make way for wild animals, but also take the initiative to rescue injured wild animals. Even if wild animals graze on their own pastures, I don't drive them away. Sometimes, livestock and wild animals are mixed, as long as they don't 'fight'. Lying down on the grass, I can often hear the sound of Tibetan antelopes and Tibetan wild donkeys nibbling on grass. It's a wonderful feeling, they are all protected wild animals at the national level. ”
Yak of the Bubai family. Photo by special correspondent He Xiaogang
Qiu Pei Tashi, director of the Zhuonai Lake Conservation Station of Coco Xili National Nature Reserve, said that in the 45,000 square kilometers of Coco Xili National Nature Reserve, the Number of Tibetan Antelopes has increased to the current 70,000. "As the number of Tibetan antelopes as the base species increases, the number of Tibetan wild donkeys, wild yaks, wolves, snow leopards and even crows will increase."
There are more and more wild animals in pastoral areas, and how to get along with wild animals has become a top priority. Bu Baiqun said that a wild yak was "mixed" in his yak herd, and it could no longer be driven away, and the yak herd became difficult to control. He had to invite a professional herdsman from Dangxiong County, Lhasa City, Tibet, to assist in herding cattle, with a daily salary of 100 yuan. "Manpower has increased, the cost of rearing has increased, but I am not losing." Bu Baiqun leaned close to the reporter's ear and said quietly.
Two homes up and down the hill
There are 7 brothers and sisters in Bubai group, of which 2 do not go to school, and 5 of them have gone to junior high school or above. In 1991, 16-year-old Bu Baiqun dropped out of school after finishing the first year of junior high school and returned home to help his parents herd, tending 700 Tibetan sheep and 130 yaks.
"At that time, the grass in the pasture was very good, the yaks and Tibetan sheep grew quickly, and the yaks could grow up to 800 pounds." Bu Baiqun recalled that the pasture has gradually changed since 2000, and overgrazing and climate change have made the grassland more and more desertified. Mudslides often cover vegetation, and the grass on the pasture is simply not enough for yaks and Tibetan sheep to eat.
At this time, wild animals also began to become more abundant. For example, Tibetan wild donkeys often appear in groups of two or three hundred in the pasture, and at a glance, the green mountains become "black mountains", and there is a situation where Tibetan wild donkeys and people "compete" for pastures.
Overgrazing has caused the ecology of pastures on both sides of the Tuotuo River to begin to deteriorate. "At that time, a Tibetan sheep could only grow to 40 pounds, and a yak could only grow to four or five hundred pounds, and it was thin, and it didn't grow fat at all, mainly because it couldn't eat enough grass when fattening."
Ecological degradation has pushed the lives of herders into difficult situations. Bai ma Dorje, mayor of Tanggulashan, recalled: "In the same pasture, in the 1970s and 1980s, there were surplus 300 or 400 yaks, and by 2000 even 100 yaks could not be fed. Moreover, the drought in the first year and the flood in the following year, rats ran all over the mountain. Herders earn less than 2,000 yuan a year per capita, and it is difficult to make ends meet by raising yaks and Tibetan sheep. ”
Yangtze River Source Village. Photo by special correspondent He Xiaogang
In 2000, Qinghai Province established the Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve. In 2003, Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve was upgraded to a national nature reserve. In 2004, in accordance with the requirements of ecological protection and construction of Sanjiangyuan, some residents of Tanggulashan Town were classified as grass and livestock balance households and stayed in the local area; Some were classified as forbidden herders and ecologically relocated on a voluntary basis.
In 2004, herders in Tanggula Mountain Town carried out ecological relocation. The first batch of 128 herdsmen in 6 villages made the Beituotuo River and crossed the Kunlun Mountains to form the first Tibetan village in Golmud City, Changjiangyuan Village. In 2010, the second batch of more than 100 grass and livestock balance households were also relocated to Changjiangyuan Village.
The reason why it is called "Yangtze River Source Village" is not only from the source of the Yangtze River, but also means "drinking water and thinking of the source". At present, the size of the village has expanded to 245 households and 568 people. The villagers live in the city, live in spacious houses, have stable jobs, and have complete water and electricity at home.
Bu Baiqun family. Photo by special correspondent He Xiaogang
The Bubaiqun family, classified as a grass-livestock balance household, has a two-bedroom house in the city and a ranch 400 kilometers away. "The original price of the house was 120,000 yuan, I only spent more than 60,000 yuan, and the rest is subsidized by the state." It is much easier for the two children to study in the city.
On July 23, the weather was clear, and the annual Yangtze River Source Village Horse Racing Festival was held, and Bu Baiqun held a number plate in his hand and shuttled back and forth on the field. "I used to be a handsome rider on the field, but now I'm getting fatter and I can only do some horse racing support work."
"The home on the mountain slowly belongs to the past, and the home under the mountain is the present and the future." Bu Baiqun said, "My two children are studying in Golmud City, fully integrated into the city life, and it is difficult to adapt to the pastoral areas in life." With the gradual ban on grazing at the source of the Yangtze River, our future should be at home under the mountain - Yangtze River Source Village. ”
Yangtze River Source Village Square. Photo by special correspondent He Xiaogang
"Yangtze River Source Village now has 172 grassland ecological stewards and 33 wetland ecological stewards, covering 5.011 million mu of forbidden pastoral areas." Baima Dorje introduced that through the use of grass to fix livestock, local areas to ban grazing, and strict control of livestock load, the deterioration of the ecological environment has been effectively curbed, the vegetation at the source of the Yangtze River has been significantly restored, the overall water conservation capacity has been improved, the excellent rate of water quality has reached 100% for 12 consecutive years, and wild animals such as Tibetan antelopes, Tibetan wild donkeys, and yellow sheep have appeared in groups.
Wild yaks come and don't go
On the morning of 20 July, the Bubai herd drove off the yak herd as usual. One of the yaks didn't move, and then rushed straight towards him. Bu Baiqun fixed his eyes on a wild yak and had to hold his head to avoid.
Wild yak. Photo by special correspondent He Xiaogang
It was not the first time that a wild yak had entered his family's yak herd, much less the first. The newly added wild yak not only had no intention of leaving, but also often used its horns to hurt his family's yak, and even killed his family's yak. "Wild yak horns are thick and legs are thick, one head taller than domestic yaks. Three domestic yaks can't do a single wild yak. ”
The one that hurts the Bubai group the most is the male wild yak. After losing their mating rights after failing to fight in a wild yak herd, they set their sights on the domestic yak herd, and with their huge bodies attacked the domestic male yak that threatened them, achieving the status of "cow king" and chasing the domestic female yak recklessly.
"Gradually, the cubs under the domestic female yak have the genes of wild yaks, the population changes, the yaks do not listen to the call, and it is becoming more and more difficult to graze. I had to send more herders to control the yak herd. Bu Baiqun told reporters that after a disturbance in the yak herd, the male wild yak will also abduct the domestic female yak to escape from the pasture and become its "pressed lady". "Wild yaks are national first-level protected wild animals, and we can't fight or stop them." This is the biggest loss of yak farming. ”
Speaking of this, Bu Baiqun smiled: "The addition of wild yaks is not all bad, its genetic addition has formed a unique meat variety - wild blood yak beef." Wild blood yak meat is finely fibered, sweet in taste and higher in calories, and is one notch more expensive than domestic yak beef. Wild blood yak beef raw meat is 80 yuan per kilogram, 300 yuan per kilogram after natural air drying, and domestic yak beef raw meat is only more than 60 yuan per kilogram. ”
Produced by Yangtze River Daily Editorial: Chief Reporter Yang Jiafeng Photography: Reporter He Xiaogang Video: Reporter Yang Jiafeng He Xiaogang Producer Xiong Li Review Zheng Hui Editor: Ye Feng Proofreader: Yang Mei
Source: Yangtze River Daily