Backgrounder: Tibetan antelopes in China

LHASA, June 24 (Xinhua) -- The Tibetan antelope, with light tan fur, grayish-white face and broad mouth, lives in Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve in Qinghai Province, and Altun Mountain National Nature Reserve in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region at altitudes ranging from 3,700 to 5,500 meters. The three regions are adjacent to one another.

A Tibetan antelope possesses a big heart that accounts more than 3 percent of their body weight, giving them unparalleled resistance to hypoxia and the cold, and excellent running ability compared with other similar species.

The Tibetan antelope can run long distances at an average speed of 80 km per hour at an altitude of over 5,000 meters, with a top speed of 110 km, making it one of the fastest animals on land. One of the five mascots of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, "Yingying," was based on the Tibetan antelope, symbolizing their resilience and spirit of challenging limits in harsh environments.

Every summer, thousands of female Tibetan antelopes migrate up to 2,000 km to give birth. Only one-third of their young will survive.

The fine underfur of the Tibetan antelope once brought them disaster. In the 1980s and 1990s, poachers were rampant. In 1995, the population of the Tibetan antelope was reduced to only about 50,000 to 75,000.

The number of Tibetan antelopes in Xizang has now increased to more than 300,000, and their protection status has been downgraded from "endangered" to "near threatened," according to data from the region's ecology and environment department.

Tibetan antelope lived on this land 10 million years ago, so they have witnessed the long process of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau rising to become the "roof of the world" and survived the drastic changes of the Himalayas.

In "Shan Hai Jing" (Classic of Mountains and Seas), the Tibetan antelope is recorded as an auspicious animal that brings good luck. They will continue to thrive and coexist harmoniously with humans here.