A day in the clouds
The air is thin and we have to rest several times on the short hike from camp. To our left, snow-covered mountains disappear into clouds that seem almost close enough to touch. On the plain(平原) in front of us, we can just make out a herd of graceful animals. This is why we stay here.
Tibetan antelopes live mainly on the plains of Tibet. Watching them move slowly across the green grass, I'm struck by their beauty. I'm also reminded of the danger they are in. They are being hunted, illegally, for their valuable fur.
My guide is Zhaxi, a villager from Changtang. He works at the Changtang National Nature Reserve. The reserve is a safe place for the animals and plants of northwestern Tibet. To Zhaxi, protecting the wildlife is a way of life. "We're not trying to save the animals," he says. "Actually, we're trying to save ourselves."
In the 1980s and 1990s the population of Tibetan antelopes dropped by more than 50 percent. Hunters were shooting antelopes to make money. Their living places were becoming smaller as new roads and railways were built.
In order to save Tibetan antelopes, the Chinese government placed them under national protection. Zhaxi and volunteers watched over the antelopes day and night to keep them safe from attacks. Bridges and gates were added to let the antelopes move easily and keep them safe from cars and trains.
The measures were effective. The antelope population has recovered and in June 2015, the Tibetan antelope was removed from the endangered species list(濒危物种名单). The government, however, does not intend to stop the protection programmes, since the threats to the Tibetan antelope have not yet disappeared. Only when we learn to exist in harmony with nature can we stop being a threat to wildlife and to our planet.
We found him a few weeks ago, when he was walking along the road in the countryside. He was jumping and trying to stop cars, and we 1 maybe his family was camping somewhere nearby, 2 we passed him by. A few hours later, on our return 3, he was 4 in the same place, trying to get people to 5 for him. When he noticed 6, he lay down in the middle of the road, so we were unable to 7 him.
We stopped the car and looked around for a few minutes, trying to find his8. But we failed. Then we took a 9 look at the dog. He had no collar(颈圈)and he was really 10. We decided he was abandoned.
My husband said, "11 he doesn't bite me when I try to pick him up to put him in the 12, we will have a new dog. " The dog 13 joined us with no fright at all. He kept sticking his head between the two front seats as if thanking us for 14 him up.
The dog had been 15 on the road for some time. He was so thin. So, we 16 him a lot over the next two weeks and he gained over twenty pounds. We took him to the vet(兽医), who said the dog appeared to be in good 17 though he had been abandoned. The vet guessed the dog is about two or three years of age, from the condition of his teeth.
We do 18 this dog. He had been mistreated and yet, he is still very sweet. He had no manners, but he is a 19 learner.
Since then, he has become a 20 of our family.
An important decision (make) by the National People's Congress Standing Committee(全国人大常委会)in February, 2020. The decision made clear that all animals, including those on the protection list of the existing Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Wildlife or other laws and all terrestrial(陆生的) wildlife, are banned from consumption. The decision announced that anyone illegally hunts, trades, transports or eats wild animals on the protection list of the existing laws will be (severe) punished. The decision also said any store (break) the laws would be closed and face heavy (punish).
"Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the (risk) of eating wild animals have aroused wide public concern," an official said. "At the critical moment in epidemic prevention and control, it's highly necessary for the NPC Standing Committee (pass) such a special decision."
However, aquatic(水生的)wild animals like fish are not on the prohibition list. Common poultry(家禽) and livestock(家畜) like pigs, cattle and sheep are also not on the list. Animals that (raise) for a long time, such as pigeons and rabbits, are not on the list, either. "The decision may cause economic losses for some farmers who raise animals. Local governments should help them adjust and transform production and bussiness activities, and offer them compensation depending the practical situation," the official said.
