Captive Animals Get Help  

cctv.com 10-20-2005 16:06

A nature reserve in northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region is helping captive animals rediscover their inner beast. With a little human help, endangered species in the Kalamaili nature reserve are being sent out into the wild to regain some of their basic instinct. Some of these endangered animals, including Mongolian wild donkeys and red deer, have been living and breeding here for many years. But will these pampered pets be able enough to make it in the wild on their own?

Hard times create heroes. With his parents around, this pony doesn't look strong enough to handle things by himself. But the truth is, he'll do better than his mum and dad when an emergency occurs.

Wang Zhenbiao in Xingjiang Wild Horse Reserch Center said, "It ran across a wolf and wounded one of its hooves. But it survived the fight. And that's what we expected. They do need lessons on finding their inner beast."

The horse keepers say the center sends a group of younger horses back to the wild from time to time to train their natural instincts. And it seems to be working.

Wang Zhenbiao also said, "Winter is around the corner. We'll send them to the wild again to learn how to get food when it snows. Captive horses would never know how to do this, as they're served all the year round."

The center has been doing this so-called "field training" since 2001. So far, about 30 of the existing 300 Pu wild horses in the country have learnt to take care of themselves in the wild.

Found mainly in China, the Pu wild horse is an endangered wild species. At present, there are only about 1,000 captive Pu horses around the world.

It's all about survival of the fittest. But the remains of one Mongolia wild donkey indicate that sometimes it's too difficult to deal with the harsh realities of nature.

Vice manager of Kalamaili Nature Reserve Ha Zibai said, "At first we doubted that it was caused by an infectious disease. But later, we found that all the victims died near places where there used to be sources of water. In fact, they were dying of thirst."

Human beings have offered a helping hand, building many sources of water for those thirsty animals, including Mongolian wild donkeys, which are first-degree protected animals in China.

The Red deer is another wild species living in Xinjiang. Like the wild donkeys, with man's help, red deer have survived both the challenges of nature as well as illegal hunting.

Prof. Hai Ying in Xinjiang Normal University said, "We adopt biological techniques, such as artificial insemination and frozen embryo, to help reproduce red deer. Now the survival rate of the new born is up about 95 per cent."

There are currently more than 2,500 red deer living in the reserve. As the nation's awareness of protecting the environment and wild animals increases, experts can worry less about the red deer's reproductive capacity. Their focus is now on how to help them find their natural instincts and send them back to their home -- the wild.

Editor:Liu Fengming  Source:CCTV.com