In recent years, with China's ecological protection and anti-poaching efforts, the population of the Tibetan antelope has made a comeback, to the point that their protection level has been downgraded from endangered to a near-threatened species.

The number of Tibetan antelopes in China has increased from fewer than 70,000 in the 1980s and 1990s to nearly 300,000 currently, according to a recent statement released by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

Tibetan antelopes are mostly found in the plateau region of Northwest China, including the Tibet autonomous region, Qinghai province and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. The species is under first-class state protection in China.

The Hoh Xil nature reserve has not reported any poaching for more than 10 years and the population of Tibetan antelopes in the area has recovered.

"In Qinghai province, Tibetan antelopes mostly inhabit the Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve in Sanjiangyuan National Park. Anti-poaching and protection efforts were initiated in Qinghai in the 1990s," said Dawa Drolma, an official of the Administration Bureau of the park.

"Our mission is, as always, to work toward anti-poaching and the prevention of human interference through traffic control during migration, escorting during farrowing and the rescue of injured animals," she said.

Wu Xiaomin, an expert at the Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, said the habitat of the Tibetan antelope in China covers more than 1 million square kilometers, mostly in remote, harsh environments with altitudes between 3,700 and 5,500 meters.

Wu said there are more than 200,000 of the animals in Tibet's northern Changthang grassland, more than 70,000 in the Hoh Xil areas and more than 20,000 in Xinjiang.