Wild yak population continues to rise at reserve in North West China

VIDEO – click to view. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orgPa3yw1fY

The number of wild yaks has increased by 3,000 to reach around 12,000 over a decade at a nature reserve in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, according to the latest research released on in December 2021.

With the development of the fourth scientific expedition at Altun Mountain National Nature Reserve in Xinjiang, the monitoring of wildlife overwintering in the protected area has also been officially launched recently. The site of the science expedition is located in the buffer zone of the Altun Mountain National Nature Reserve.

The monitoring site is located in the area where wild yaks live in concentration, so the scientific researchers can observe the situation of the wild yaks up close.The researchers made some new discoveries during this year’s monitoring.

The wild yak population distribution in winter was concentrated and large in quantity, but this winter the wild yak flocks are small and evenly dispersed probably due to the weather, according to experts. So far, there is little snow in the Altun Mountain National Nature Reserve, and preliminary observation shows that the grass and drinking points for wild yaks are distributed evenly.

The final conclusion will need further observations, said experts. Some females are already pregnant now, and this season observations show that female wild yaks are gentler, while male wild yaks are more violent, defensive, and aggressive than usual.

As the giant of the wilderness, local wild yaks have few natural predators and their population has steadily increased in recent years.

SOURCE: CCTV, 13 Dec 2021.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orgPa3yw1fY