The Tibet Autonomous Region in Southwest China, known as the World's Roof, has become a paradise for wild animals, thanks to protection efforts by the central and local governments.
On the north slope of Mt. Qomolangma, flocks of yellow-mouth crows are flying and strolling around at sites a few meters from tourists’ tents.
On the zigzag roads to the mount, weasels and hares are always seen running one after another or chasing motor vehicles.
"Wild doves can also be seen here," said a Tibetan driver who has been to this area many times.
In the areas at a higher elevation on the mount, there is a chance of seeing some first-class state protected animals like snow leopards, he said.
In 1994, China set up the Qomolangma Nature Reserve covering an area of 33,800 square kilometers. "Local Tibetans and tourists have made great efforts to protect the environment here," said an official with the reserve.
The area has become home to more and more wild animals in recent years, the official said.
According to the official, there are over 100 species of wild animals inhabiting the reserve, one of the 17 nature reserves in Tibet.
The size of the nature reserves in the region totals one-third of it 1.2 million square kilometers of land. They are paradise to some 125 wild animals under state protection, including wild yak, black neck crane, Tibetan antelope, Yunnan golden monkey and Tibetan snow cock.
The numbers of these wild animal species are increasing at a large rate, he added.
Guo, an official with the Mt Qomolangma Headquarters of the China Climbing Association, has been working here for 40 days.
"I have collected many wild animal bones nearby," he said, showing Xinhua reporters a one-meter-long complete horn of wild argali.
Local Tibetan residents judged from the bone that the argali was about 20 to 30 years old, Guo said.
Other officials or researchers here are also lucky to have such a collection, he said. The wild animals are not afraid of humans. They often appear and disappear in front of people.
The shining snow-overed cap and icy glaciers on the mount form a freezing world, but it is a fairyland of snow leopards, an endangered and beautiful wild species.
Constant accidents have been reported recently that the snow leopards sneaked into pens of Tibetan farmers' house and killed livestock for food.
The hunting of wild animals has long been banned in the reserves, but the number of flesh-eaters is largely increasing.
This results in this situation like the death of farmers' livestock, but it indicates that the natural environment has improved, he added.
(China Daily 05/12/2001)
