9 stranded yaks rescued from frozen lake in NW China's Qinghai

Police officers and residents in Madoi county, northwest China's Qinghai Province, recently rescued nine yaks stranded in a frozen lake.

After receiving an emergency call from a herdsman on Nov. 25, police from the Wild Buffalo Valley Police Station quickly gathered rescue tools and headed to the scene.

Rescuing the yaks was no easy task. Madoi, which means "the source of Yellow River" in Tibetan, is one of the highest counties in the country, with an average altitude of 4,300 meters. In late November, temperatures in the county dropped to minus 20 degrees Celsius, freezing the lake water solid.

The rescue operation initially occurred on the lake's surface, but the attempts were unsuccessful. Braving the extreme cold, one policeman courageously jumped into the freezing water and managed to secure the yaks with ropes.

After more than four hours of strenuous efforts by both the police and locals, the herd of yaks was successfully pulled ashore, with one calf surviving.

The herdsman expressed his deepest gratitude to the police for their rescue efforts. "These yaks mean a lot to me. I would have watched them sink and suffered a great loss without your help," he said, tears welling up in his eyes.

Police officers and residents rescue yaks stranded in a frozen lake in Madoi county, northwest China's Qinghai Province. (Photo Courtesy of Wild Buffalo Valley Police Station in Madoi county)

Police officers and residents rescue yaks stranded in a frozen lake in Madoi county, northwest China's Qinghai Province. (Photo Courtesy of Wild Buffalo Valley Police Station in Madoi county)

Police officers and residents rescue yaks stranded in a frozen lake in Madoi county, northwest China's Qinghai Province. (Photo Courtesy of Wild Buffalo Valley Police Station in Madoi county)

Police officers and residents rescue yaks stranded in a frozen lake in Madoi county, northwest China's Qinghai Province. (Photo Courtesy of Wild Buffalo Valley Police Station in Madoi county)