The reporter learned from the Forestry and Grassland Bureau of Bayannaoer City, Inner Mongolia and other departments that due to the improvement of the ecological environment and the strengthening of protection measures, many wild animals such as wolves, lynxes, and northern goats have "rooted" in the Wulat grassland and have freely multiplied and grown.
Urat grassland is located in the territory of Bayannaoer City, bordering Mongolia in the north, with an area of more than 76 million mu, mainly distributed in Wulat Houqi, Zhongqi, Qianqi and other places, is one of the nine concentrated natural grasslands in Inner Mongolia.
In a recent period, in the Houqi Nature Reserve in Urart, the staff not only captured the activities of 1 adult wolf and 4 young wolves through infrared cameras installed in the wild, but also 1 lynx and herds of northern goats, which is the first time that the local infrared camera in the wild has been used to photograph the national second-level protected animals.
Wolves captured by the staff of the Houqi Nature Reserve in Urat with infrared cameras
According to Su Yarattu, director of the management station of the Houqi Nature Reserve in Urat, the natural enemies of the northern goat are mainly lynx, wolves and snow leopards. The filming of wolves, lynx and herds of goats in the same area reflects the gradual formation of a food chain in the Houqi Nature Reserve of Wulat, which will contribute to the restoration of local grassland biodiversity.
Lynx photographed by the staff of the Houqi Nature Reserve in Wulat with an infrared camera
Suyaratu said that the northern goat was originally a national first-level protected wildlife, and in February 2021, it was adjusted to a national second-level protected wild animal. According to their preliminary statistics, there are 6 populations of northern goats in the Houqi Nature Reserve of Wulat, and the total number is conservatively estimated to be 100 to 200, of which the largest group has a total of 29 northern goats. Previously, they also found a large number of Mongolian wild donkeys and other wild animals foraging in the nature reserve.
The staff of the Houqi Nature Reserve in Wulat photographed the northern goat with an infrared camera
Yan Jun, director of the Bayannaoer City Forestry and Grassland Bureau, said that with the implementation of the national forest and grassland protection policy, the Wulat grassland has implemented ecological restoration projects such as zoning rotational grazing, enclosure and prohibition of grazing, and balance between grass and livestock, the ecological environment has gradually improved, and the population and number of wild animals have gradually increased.
The staff of the Houqi Nature Reserve in Wulat photographed the northern goat with a camera
At present, the staff of local nature reserves have strengthened observation and recording of all kinds of wild animals, increased the intensity of inspection and patrol, resolutely stopped artificial interference with wildlife activities, and strictly prevented illegal hunting by lawbreakers. (Reporter Li Yunping)