More than 20,000 pregnant Tibetan antelopes have so far entered the Zonag Lake area in northwest China's Qinghai Province to give birth. Officials say the peak time of the propagation season has almost arrived. An exclusive piece of footage recording the whole process of a Tibetan antelope giving birth to a little baby antelope was captured by CCTV without disturbing the animals. This is the very first time that a birth in the wild has been be captured on film. Fintan Monaghan takes us to witness the great moment.

The habits of the Tibetan antelope are complicated, with some living in one place for a long period and some habitually migrating. The difference is generally comes down to gender. Mature female antelopes and their female offspring migrate 300 kilometers from their winter mating location, to the place where they give birth in the Summer.

Due to the sensitive nature of the Tibetan antelope, our CCTV crew in the Hoh Xil nature reserve used all-angle cameras to cover the entire reserve. Cameras were hidden near the bank of Zonag Lake, and the video can then transferred to the station by fiber-optic cables. High-powered lenses, remote microwave and Inmarsat were used to bring us a panoramic view of the scene.

Now, let's take a look at the video which captured the entire delivery process.

We can see the mother Tibetan antelope, with her swollen belly, lying on the field. She appears to be in great pain.

She stands for a moment, then falls again...

The front legs of the baby antelope can now be seen...the mother sits down and licks her baby...

The mother keeps turning and struggling hard...she's obviously in serious pain...She stands up once again and the baby antelope is finally born!

According to experts, the baby Tibetan antelope will be able to walk on its own within only a few minutes of birth. However it's still very fragile. Staff and volunteers of Hoh Xil nature reserve are keeping a close eye on the new born baby antelopes. They need protection against harsh weather conditions, illegal poachers and other predators since the survival rate of these babies is only 25 percent.

The Tibetan antelope mainly live in China's Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, with a few more scattered around the Ladakh area of India. Every year, more than 30,000 Tibetan antelopes gather along the Zonag Lake, ready to give birth. The propagation season ends in August, the baby Tibetan antelopes will then travel with their mother back to their original habitats.

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)