Photo: Sina Weibo

Five people trespassed on the nature reserve in Southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region and chased Tibetan antelopes without approval, the local police announced on Tuesday. The suspects were fined 5,000 yuan ($684) respectively. 

A video showing a white off-road vehicle chasing a herd of Tibetan antelopes, China’s Class I national protected animals, on grassland in Xainza county in Nagqu Prefecture, Xizang, went viral on Saturday. The video quickly triggered public concern. 

The local police released a statement on Tuesday that five suspects were caught in Baingoin county on Sunday. 

According to the statement, the local forest police in Xainza county immediately organized personnel to the spot after they discovered the incident and inspected suspected vehicles in the area. They finally identified the five suspects in Baingoin county early Saturday morning and caught the suspects with the local police. 

The five suspects surnamed Liang, Shi, Chen, Yang and Xiong drove an off-road vehicle and trespassed in the nature reserve without authorization around 5:40 pm on Saturday and chased the protected animal Tibetan antelopes. 

Their behavior did not lead to the vehicle to run over the animals or cause injury or death of Tibetan antelopes, and there was no wild animal or their products found in the vehicle upon police inspection. 

The forest police in Xainza county handed over the case to the local forestry and grassland administration according to related regulations. The five suspects were fined 5,000 yuan respectively in accordance with China’s regulations on nature reserves and the implementation measures of Xizang. 

The police reminded the public that no person or vehicle is allowed to enter the nature reserves without approval. 

According to media reports, the population of Tibetan antelope in China, once shrunk to less than 70,000 due to poaching, but has now bounced back to more than 300,000 thanks to concerted effort in biodiversity conservation. 

Global Times