The management and protection station of the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve is like an isolated island.
A baby snow leopard released back into the wild.
Ngapoi Jinyuan (left) and Dong Guixin inaugurate the Tibet Autonomous Region Tibetan Antelope Conservation and Research Center.
"Qiangtang" means "northern clearing" in Tibetan. At the end of November, the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve has a dry and cold climate, with an average altitude of more than 5,000 meters, and the oxygen content of the air is less than half of that of sea level. A convoy carrying a banner reading "Chimelong Animal Protection Tibet Public Welfare Tour" climbed over the winding mountain road, passed through the bitterly cold snow-capped mountains, and stopped at the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve, which is currently the largest nature reserve in the mainland.
I saw that the cage containing a baby snow leopard was taken from the car. Opening the iron cage, the little snow leopard jumped out of the cage and ran into the empty distance. Zong Ga, deputy director of the Tibet Autonomous Region Forestry and Grassland Bureau, Cao Liang, deputy general manager of the Animal and Plant Management Department of Chimelong Group, Ji Fenglin, general manager of the group's brand department, and the staff of the rescue center completely forgot about the altitude sickness caused by extreme hypoxia, and couldn't help cheering excitedly.
Heaven and earth in an instant, people, animals, and nature coexist in harmony. Chimelong Group and the Tibet Autonomous Region Forestry and Grassland Bureau have successfully released the rescued snow leopards into the wild.
It turned out that eight months ago, the rangers of the Tibetan Antelope Conservation Research Center in the Tibet Autonomous Region found a snow leopard, a national first-class animal, lying on the side of the road, in very bad physical condition and with deep wounds. Under the careful care and treatment of the staff of the rescue center, the snow leopard's physical condition has gradually improved, and now it has fully recovered and is ready to be re-released into the wild.
Cao Liang said that this snow leopard was rescued by the rescue center we helped, and we also put a GPS tracker on its body, which can judge what it is doing according to the trajectory and whether it can adapt to the wild survival, rather than being finished and finished. If it stays in one place for too long, we may have to see if it is in trouble and needs help. So far, we have rescued 3 snow leopards.
Interestingly, the snow leopard's adaptability is beyond everyone's imagination. Cao Liang said with relief that judging from the trajectory, it went in the direction of his hometown, that is, the address of the ambulance at that time.
For the construction of Chimelong's aid to Tibet, 62-year-old Cao Liang has been to Tibet more than 10 times in the past five years. He often jokes that he is already the age of his grandfather, but he has the enthusiasm and enthusiasm of young people in the Chimelong animal rescue project.
Chimelong, he said, may give everyone the impression that it is a tourist area. But in reality, what you see is only the end-end products and services. The front-end scientific research, protection, domestication and breeding, participation in field conservation and other work are not felt by everyone. We have done a lot of rescue, and the most important thing is to participate in the global animal rescue, and the case of Chimelong base station was also selected by the state to be analyzed at the central venue of the China Biodiversity Conference.
The construction of a sunshine room injects "Guangdong warm current" into the blood vessels of the national nature reserve
This time, in addition to releasing animals into the wild, Cao Liang also shouldered the mission of inspecting the construction and use of the glass sunrooms of the 73 management stations in the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve and the "Tibet Autonomous Region Tibetan Antelope Conservation and Research Center" in Qushui County.
From 2018 to 2023, Guangdong Chimelong Group donated 100 million yuan to build a glass sunroom in each of the 73 management and protection stations in the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve and to build the Tibet Autonomous Region Tibetan Antelope Conservation and Research Center (Tibet Autonomous Region Wildlife Shelter and Rescue Center) in Qushui County.
At the Qiangtang Management and Protection Station, the newly built glass sunroom is spacious and bright. Not only is there heating, but there are also brand new sofas and tables, and even some flowers and vegetables can be planted, and this is where the caretakers work and live. Dabu, the station station of Lugu Mabutang Station in Tibet Qiang Nature Reserve, said with emotion that the altitude here is very cold, and Chimelong Group has built a sun room for us, which makes us more confident to do this job.
Dab, who has been working here for eight years, has only been heating on the stove for eight years, and this is the first time he has used heating. At present, the 73 professional management stations of the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve have glass sunrooms.
The oxygen content of the air here is only 40% of that of the plains, and there are more than 200 windy days of magnitude 8 or higher per year...... However, in such a harsh environment, in addition to performing daily patrol functions, the management and protection station also has to carry out the shelter and rescue of terrestrial wild animals, and the monitoring, prevention and control of epidemic sources and diseases.
"The staff of the station are the watchmen of this land, and we hope to protect these watchmen," said Cao Liang, who is a blood vessel in the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve, and it is the most basic nerve cell, and the management work is done by these 73 stations. It's cold here at night, and it's hard to survive the harsh winter. According to the voice of the grassroots caretakers, we Chimelong Group have built 73 glass sunrooms. With a sunroom, as long as there is sun, the physical temperature is very high, and there is heating, so everyone can settle down and engage in field conservation work.
Construct a special animal rescue functional area on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to "escort" wild animals
On November 27, the Tibet Autonomous Region Tibetan Antelope Conservation and Research Center (Tibet Autonomous Region Wildlife Shelter and Rescue Center) built with the assistance of Guangdong Chimelong Group was officially established, and Ngapoi Jinyuan, former vice chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region CPPCC, and Dong Guixin, senior vice president of Chimelong Group, were unveiled as the center. This marks the official operation of the first animal rescue functional area and scientific research service platform with characteristics of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and the wildlife protection work in the Tibet Autonomous Region has entered a new stage of development.
The Tibetan Antelope Conservation and Research Center covers an area of 48.03 acres, with a total construction area of 7,500 square meters, mainly composed of expert buildings, popular science research buildings, animal hospitals, bird cages, herbivore cages, animal cages and other ancillary projects. The project can greatly improve the conditions and capabilities for wildlife protection and rescue, enhance the scientific research level of plateau wildlife, and provide basic guarantee for the protection and rescue of rare and endangered wild animals, maintaining ecological balance, improving the ecological environment, and promoting the harmonious development of man and nature.
I saw that in the popular science research building, it has been equipped with computers, microscopes and other related instruments. Dong Guixin, chief animal and plant officer of Guangdong Chimelong Group, said that the center is to carry out field monitoring and rescue work. And the animals we have rescued will be rewilded and released back into the wild. It can be seen that some new instruments and equipment are gradually being put in place. For example, if an animal needs a physical examination, it depends on some facilities and equipment in the center. We hope that in the future, we will not only protect Tibet's wildlife, but also provide strong support for wildlife around the world.
Tibet is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world and an important gene bank for biodiversity. According to the results of the second national survey of terrestrial wildlife resources, the existing Tibetan antelope population in Tibet has increased from more than 70,000 at the lowest point of the last century to more than 300,000, the wild yak population has increased from a few thousand in the last century to more than 20,000, and the number of black-necked cranes has increased from less than 2,000 in the last century to more than 10,000.
"In the future, we will never stop the work of wilderness protection, wilderness rescue and reintroduction to nature, and will continue to carry out it. Dong Guixin said that Chimelong has built a five-in-one innovative development model of "wildlife germplasm resource base + scientific research + popular science education + field rescue + rewilding". In addition, the Guangdong Chimelong Charity Foundation, a subsidiary of Chimelong, is the first private enterprise in mainland China to establish a 5A-level wildlife conservation fund, providing technical strength and project funds of more than 500 million yuan to wildlife conservation at home and abroad. In the future, Chimelong Group will always adhere to biodiversity conservation, continue to strengthen the research of wildlife germplasm resources, and strive to conserve 150,000 wild animals of 2,000 species by 2030, provide more strategic resources for the ex situ conservation and wild population restoration of global endangered species, and strive to contribute to the harmonious development of man and nature.
As the sun sets, flocks of Tibetan antelopes in the distance leisurely bow their heads and eat...... This zoo, which is more than 3,000 kilometers away, is quietly contributing to China's biodiversity conservation.
Written by: Nandu reporter Xu Xiaolei Xi student Yuan Xiaojia correspondent Deng Yongyi
Photography: Ma Qiang Editor: Xu Xiaolei