Chinese Story | Seeking for "Luobu Yujie", the guardian of plateau creatures

Source: Xinhua

2024-05-24 13:27

Original title: Chinese Story | Looking for the Guardian of the Life on the Plateau "Luobu Yujie"

"Who is Rob Yujie?" With this question in mind, the reporter recently started patrolling the core area of Qiangtang National Nature Reserve with more than 10 key professional wildlife management and protection team members from the Rob Yujie Management and Protection Station in Nima County, Naqu City, named after him.

Luo Buyujie, the former first grade police chief of the Nyima County Forest Public Security Police Station in the Tibet Autonomous Region, was ambushed by poachers in the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve on June 1, 2002, and unfortunately was shot and killed in the head. This time, we followed his descendants and set foot in the nature reserve protected by his life to understand the stories of these Qiangtang guardians.

Professional wildlife management and protection team members took a group photo at Luobuyujie Management and Protection Station in Nima County before starting for patrol (taken on May 7). Photographed by Jiang Fan, a reporter from Xinhua News Agency

Stepping in the footsteps of Luobu Yujie, go deep into the "no man's land"

Qiangtang, which means "the open space in the north" in Tibetan, is located in the north of Tibet Autonomous Region, between the Kunlun Mountains, Tanggula Mountains and Gangdise Mountains.

This is an extremely vast land. The total area of the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve alone is 298000 square kilometers; This is a high and harsh land, with an average altitude of more than 4500 meters. It often snows heavily in May and June, and there is no human activity in most of the core area; It is also a vibrant land, with 10 species of national first-class protected wild animals and 21 species of national second-class protected wild animals, known as the "paradise of wild animals".

Groups of Tibetan wild donkeys run past the vehicles of professional wildlife management and protection team members (photographed on May 9). Photographed by Jiang Fan, a reporter from Xinhua News Agency

From the 1980s to the beginning of this century, in order to gain profits, poachers hunted Tibetan antelopes, which once led to a sharp decline in the number of "plateau elves". At this time, heroes like Luo Bu Yujie stood out and blocked the bullets of Tibetan antelopes and poachers with youth, blood and life, which brought about the good situation of "thousands of Qiang people competing for freedom in the pond".

After leaving Nima County, the mountain patrol goes along the dirt road. Soon, there was no dirt road, and the team had to follow the ruts left by the previous mountain patrol. When there is no rut, the mountain is a landmark.

What is more difficult is to cross the river. The river channel is 100 meters wide, with stone beaches and small streams interlaced. How to choose a route depends on experience. Some water surfaces are not wide, but the embankments on both sides are very steep; Some water surface is not deep, but the lower area is muddy; Some water surfaces are covered with ice and snow, and it is up to people to pass. The most difficult thing is snow. The sky and the earth are all white. I can't see the road clearly without knowing the direction. I can only wait until it clears up

The vehicles of professional wildlife management team members cross the mud on the patrol road (photographed on May 10). Photographed by Jiang Fan, a reporter from Xinhua News Agency

The team of professional wildlife management team patrolled in the heavy snow (UAV photo, taken on May 8). Photographed by Ding Zengnida, reporter of Xinhua News Agency

Imagine how difficult the conditions that Rob Yujie and his colleagues faced more than 20 years ago. On May 11, 2002, Rob Yujie and his party set out from Nima County in an old SUV. Twenty days before the sacrifice, they traveled more than 3000 kilometers. Since he joined the forest public security front in 1994, he has gone through dozens of patrols like this.

Deep in the "no man's land", "meet" Rob Yujie

It took us four days to get near the Luobuyujie Sacrifice, which is about 370 kilometers away from the nearest human activity area. Here, people erected a monument to him. Every time the patrol passes here, professional wildlife stewards will offer him Hada, sprinkle wine and pay tribute in silence.

Professional wildlife management and protection team members pay a silent tribute in front of the Luobu Yujie Martyrs Memorial (UAV photo, taken on May 10). Photographed by Jiang Fan, a reporter from Xinhua News Agency

"When I was young, I knew Rob Yujie, watched him confiscate illegal wildlife products at the checkpoint, and also participated in the memorial meeting organized by the county. I grew up under his influence, and will pass on this responsibility." said Ge Sanglunzhu, the current head of Rob Yujie Wildlife Management Station.

According to data records, one day in April 1996, Rob Yujie set up a card at the bridgehead of Nima County on duty, found 40 Tibetan antelope skins hidden in a car, refused the owner's bribe of 5000 yuan in cash, and punished him according to law; On May 13 of that year, Rob Yujie found a businessman illegally transporting 78 Tibetan antelope sheepskins during his duty, and punished him according to law... His spirit of not being seduced by money is firmly imprinted on the minds of current professional wildlife management and protection team members.

At the entrance of Buchayu Wildlife Management Station, we saw three huge heads of wild yaks. According to the cadre of Nima County Natural Resources Bureau, the standard procedure for professional wildlife management and protection team members to encounter dead wild animals during patrol is to dissect them so that scavengers can eat them; The skins, heads and horns of dead wild animals shall be taken back to the management and protection station for destruction. The head and horn of wild yak are currently worth tens of thousands of yuan in illegal channels, but the management and protection team members are still unmoved and insist on destroying them.

At the sacrificial site of Luobuyujie, on the bank of a river beach, we saw the remains of a stone "geocell" with a diameter of about 3 meters. It is understood that poachers built fortifications in this place where Tibetan antelopes must pass, hunted Tibetan antelopes secretly, and shot Rob Yujie who came to stop them. "With us, this kind of thing will never happen again," Gesang Lunzhu said firmly.

This is the remains of a hidden fortification built by poachers in the sacrificial site of Luobuyujie (photographed on May 10). Photographed by Jiang Fan, a reporter from Xinhua News Agency

More and more "Luobu Yujie"

Since 2015, the Tibet Autonomous Region has established 73 wildlife management stations in Qiangtang. At present, there are 780 professional wildlife management personnel, and there are 14 people in Luobuyujie Wildlife Management Station.

In July 2021, the Qinghai Tibet Plateau Ecological Environment Protection and Sustainable Development Plan was reviewed and adopted; In April 2023, the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Ecological Protection of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau was promulgated. The implementation of these laws and regulations, together with the efforts of the management and protection team, enabled all creatures to run and fly freely in the Qiangtang land. They do not shelter from the wind and snow, go deep into the core area of the reserve, protect their hometown, and protect the treasure house of biodiversity for mankind.

Wildlife professional management and protection team members are warming up in the cold night of the camp, and the fuel is the feces of wild yaks (photographed on May 10). Photographed by Ding Zengnida, reporter of Xinhua News Agency

Now, the "Luobuyujie" have also received more and more attention. With the help of some public welfare organizations, Ciren Yundan, a professional wildlife management team member who participated in the mountain patrol, visited Beijing for 10 days with 42 other teammates from all over Tibet in April this year. Along the way, he shared his experience in Beijing Wildlife Park, Beijing Wildlife Rescue Center and other places with his teammates. He said, "When I patrolled the no man's land, I felt that I was protecting my hometown for my family. When I came back from Beijing, I knew that I was protecting this land for the people of the whole country. I am more energetic!"

Large groups of Tibetan antelopes are migrating to the lambing ground (UAV photo, taken on May 10). Photographed by Jiang Fan, a reporter from Xinhua News Agency

With the efforts of professional wildlife management and protection team members, the current biodiversity situation of Qiangtang is generally optimistic. The Qiangtang National Park under construction protects the world's largest Tibetan antelope migratory breeding population. It is also home to snow leopards, brown bears, lynx, wild yaks, Tibetan wild donkeys, Tibetan gazelles and other wild animals. According to the second national survey of terrestrial wildlife resources, the population of Tibetan antelope increased from more than 70000 in the 1990s to more than 300000, and the population of wild yaks increased from less than 10000 in the 20th century to more than 20000.