Across China: Hol Xil's patrollers brave hardship to fight poachers

Songtsen Langbo, a member of the Hol Xil Nature Reserve patrol team, knows all there is to know about the unforgiving plateau weather, but a recent patrol nearly cost him his life.

From Aug. 25 to Sept. 4, he and five colleagues found themselves trapped by the mud and snow in the 60,000-square-kilometer reserve in northwest China's Qinghai Province.

"We were on our way back from a 25-day patrol, and our jeeps got stuck in the mud," Langbo said.

Langbo has led the nature reserve's fourth patrol group since May. They are tasked with catching poachers and illegal miners, and must complete their main patrol before winter.

Two teams of rescuers came to their rescue, but their vehicles got stuck.

"We had to abandon our vehicles and we were totally exhausted. I was struggling to breathe at certain points," Langbo said.

"We ran out of fuel and food, and our satellite phones were not working. We had no choice but to walk several miles," he said.

Altogether six vehicles were severely damaged, three remain trapped in the mud.

Located about 4,500 meters above sea level, the nature reserve is home to many protected species including Tibetan antelopes, wild yaks and wild ass. It also has about 7,000 lakes.

"It is not unusual for teams to be trapped for a day or two, but more than that is not only rare but rather risky," said Buchung, chief of the reserve management committee.

In the last five years, Hol Xil reserve has reported more than a dozen instances of teams getting trapped in the wild, he said.

"Many of our patrollers work in extremely harsh conditions, which compromise their health. Added to this, are threats of violence from poachers," said Buchung.

Buchung said the rangers jobs are dangerous, and have cost lives, such as Sonam Daje, a Tibetan official who was killed by poachers about 20 years ago.

Yet, despite this, the rangers continue to deter poachers and protect the rare species in the reserve, especially after the number of Tibetan antelopes in the reserve shrank to less than 20,000 due to rampant poaching since the 1980s.

Intensive anti-poaching efforts have increased the population to 70,000 today, and no killings have been reported for 10 consecutive years.

"My family is very proud of me, but they don't know how risky my job can get," said Lhundrup Tsegye, 28. Endi