Text | China Science Daily reporter Zhao Guangli Intern Bian Ge
Deep in the desert, the sand dunes stretch into the sky like solidified golden waves, and not far away a herd of wild camels roam leisurely, their ears turning from time to time, wary of the desert wolves watching in the shadows.
More than 10 years ago, Liu Shaochuang, a researcher at the Aerospace Information Innovation Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was deeply attracted by this mysterious and breathtaking scene when he participated in the field test of the "Jade Rabbit" lunar rover in the depths of Lop Nur. At that time, Liu Shaochuang never imagined that his fate would be intertwined with this desert, and his name would be closely linked to the cause of wild camel protection. Little did he know that when he retired, he would be the first Chinese scientist to win the Rolex Award for Talent for his innovative technology to save endangered wild camels.
Recently, Liu Shaochuang accepted an exclusive interview with China Science News, telling the story of him and wild camels.
Liu Shaochuang (left) and his team members observe the hoof prints of wild camels.
"Love at first sight" with a wild camel
The wild camel, also known as the wild Bactrian camel, is one of the large mammals that live in the hinterland of Asia, and is now only found in an area of 200,000 square kilometers in northwestern China and southwestern Mongolia. They are different from domestic camels, with a genetic difference of 2%~3%, so they are regarded as different species.
The wild camel that grows in the depths of the desert is not only a walker in the vast desert, but also a brave person who survives in an extreme environment. However, these tenacious creatures are at risk of extinction due to habitat destruction, wolf infestation, illegal crossing and illegal mining. Liu Shaochuang told China Science Daily that the number of wild camels is now less than 1,000, which is rarer than giant pandas.
Why do you want to protect wild camels? Liu Shaochuang said that this was because he saw wild camels for the first time.
In October 2011, Liu Shaochuang saw wild camels for the first time in the Annanba Reserve in Gansu Province. "I was thrilled when I learned that the behemoths were wild camels and not captive camels, because wild camels were real, not legends. He said.
"I made the same mistake as many people at the time, thinking that a domestic camel would become a wild camel if it went out into the wild. "So I started from scratch." He was fascinated by the species, and when he learned that they were on the verge of extinction, he decided to lend a helping hand in any way he could.
It turns out that it is not easy to protect wild camels, because their habitat covers an area of 200,000 square kilometers, which not only has a large range of activities, but also has a vigilant nature, and often haunts the desert Gobi in no man's land. Little is known about their exact numbers, migration routes, and habits. At that time, the tracking of wild camels relied entirely on human observation, and the only clues were hoof prints, lying tracks, and feces.
Liu Shaochuang is a scientist who is keen on exploration. As early as more than 20 years ago, he participated in polar expeditions and reached the North Pole twice. Later, he traveled all over the world because of his scientific research topics involving the determination of the source and length of great rivers. Therefore, the difficulties faced in protecting wild camels have stimulated his "fighting spirit".
Days of tracking wild camels
Wild camels. Photo courtesy of the interviewee
Shaochuang Liu has a professional background in photogrammetry and remote sensing. At that time, he and his team were responsible for the development of the navigation and positioning and mapping systems of the "Zhurong" Mars rover and the "Yutu" lunar rover, so he thought of using navigation and positioning technology for wild camel tracking.
At that time, there was neither a project nor funding, but he said he would do it. In May 2012, with the assistance of the local animal authority, Liu Shaochuang installed the first tracker in China on wild camels.
"Wild camels must not like to wear trackers, but that doesn't affect their lives too much. Liu Shaochuang said that the tracker is less than 1 kilogram, and the battery life is 3 years, after which the tracker will automatically fall off.
This is a common method of zoological observation, but this is the first time it has been used on the wild camel, a species whose whereabouts are uncertain. Liu Shaochuang introduced that the equipment tracker can better collect data, and understand the habits and living rules of wild camels through data. At the same time, the data collected by the tracker can also be combined with other remote sensing information to study the quality of the habitat of wild camels, such as vegetation cover, water distribution, and the impact of human activities.
So far, Liu Shaochuang and his team have installed trackers for 26 wild camels in different groups deep in the desert, and used the tracking data to build habitat suitability models covering the distribution areas of wild camels in China and Mongolia.
The days of tracking wild camels are bitter and sweet. But the last thing Liu Shaochuang wants to face is the "attrition" of wild camels.
"The first wild camel I followed was bitten to death by a wolf. In this regard, Liu Shaochuang felt very regretful, "I found that the tracking data was not updated, and I found that it was bitten to death by a wolf when I looked at it in the past." ”
"That's what we can see, and there's probably a lot we haven't seen. Liu Shaochuang told China Science Daily that in his opinion, there are two things that must be done to protect wild camels, one is to limit the impact of human activities (illegal crossing and illegal mining, etc.), and the other is to control the number of wolves.
To do these two things well, the most basic preparation is still to do a good job of tracking. By tracking data, people can learn about their migration routes, living environments, and potential threats to them. Only with this information can a more detailed plan be developed, such as where to build water conservation areas and how to improve conservation measures.
"It's worth putting a lot of effort into protecting them"
After continuous observation and monitoring, Liu Shaochuang and others found some unusual changes.
They noticed that the range of wild camels is indeed very large, and some groups can walk tens or even hundreds of kilometers a day, but with the intensification of climate change and the impact of human activities, the range of wild camels is shrinking, and the wild camels in China and Mongolia are showing signs of moving to the higher altitudes of the Altun Mountains and the colder high latitudes.
"This means that they may be in more danger. Liu Shaochuang said that the survival of wild camels is worrying, and if effective protection measures are not taken immediately, this group of "elves" may become extinct in 30 to 50 years.
In order to protect wild camels, the mainland has established the Xinjiang Lop Nur and Gansu Annanba Wild Camel National Nature Reserves in Xinjiang and Gansu. The establishment of the reserve provides a safe habitat for wild camels and reduces the disturbance of human activities to their living environment.
On this basis, Liu Shaochuang suggested expanding the area of wild camel reserves in Xinjiang, Gansu and other places, and establishing a wild camel national park with a wide range and strong protection on this basis.
At the same time, Liu Shaochuang noticed that many barbed wire fences had been erected along the border between China and Mongolia, which had cut off the passage for the free movement of wild camels between China and Mongolia. He called for the establishment of a nature reserve across China and Mongolia to create more living space for wild camel populations and other wild animals.
In Liu Shaochuang's eyes, going deep into the desert is nothing, but protecting wild camels is a "money-burning" thing after all, not only trackers, data transmission, communication and analysis need to be invested, but also the vehicles, guides, anesthesiologists, anesthetics, etc. needed to find wild camels cost money. The scientific research funds and projects in this area cannot keep up with their tracking, and they will inevitably have to raise their own funds after a long time.
Fortunately, the winner of the Rolex Award for Enrichment will receive 200,000 Swiss francs (about 1.64 million yuan) in research funding. With this money, Liu Shaochuang felt a lot relieved, "This money is enough to make 40 satellite trackers."
Although the budget was often stretched thin, he felt that the effort to protect the wild camels was worth it.
First of all, wild camels are the flagship species of desert areas, so protecting wild camels is protecting the entire ecosystem. Secondly, there are many mysteries about wild camels, such as the fact that they live in the former atomic bomb test site but do not get cancer, and although they prefer fresh water, they are rarely affected by cardiovascular and high blood pressure diseases due to the limited drinking of high-concentration salt water due to the environment. Relevant studies have found that their unique physiological mechanisms may provide reference for the treatment of tumors, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases in humans. At the same time, how to remove the salt from the salt water in the body of wild camels is also a subject worth studying.
"We still have very little research on wild camels, and I believe that after in-depth research, there will be many discoveries that will be beneficial to humans. Liu Shaochuang said.