Cousins Save 59 Endangered Gazelles in Qinghai

For nearly a decade, herdsmen Zhou Zengben and Sonam Tsering have transformed their Qinghai Lake home into a rescue hub for Przewalski’s gazelles – one of the world’s most endangered species. Their mission? Saving fluffy calves from floods, ditches, and hypothermia.

It all began in 2015 after witnessing 17 gazelle calves drown in floods. Since 2016, the cousins have patrolled grasslands daily, using binoculars and medical kits to locate distressed animals. Their latest rescue? A shivering calf pulled from a water channel in March – their 59th success story!

“We stayed up all night wrapped in blankets, feeding it drop by drop,” Tsering recalls. Each rescued calf gets a name (like milk-loving Dorje) and months of care costing ¥10,000 ($1,375) annually. To afford this, they sold yaks for high-milk Simmental cattle.

The payoff? Qinghai’s gazelle population skyrocketed from 200 to 3,400! Local authorities now provide free forage and honored them as “Wildlife Conservation Caretakers.” With more volunteers joining, these antelope-like champions might soon thrive without human help.

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Cousins volunteer as guardians for endangered Przewalski's gazelles

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