City in Tibet pays for damage by wildlife

Nyingchi, Tibet, paid more than 4 million yuan ($633,000) to rural farmers and herdsmen to compensate them for damage caused by wildlife last year, China News Service reported recently.

In 2021, the city accepted 3,661 claims of damage from total requests of more than 7 million yuan.

With an average elevation of 3,000 meters, Nyingchi has the lowest average altitude in the Tibet autonomous region, but it has the highest forest coverage.

The city is home to 120 species of animals and 110 plants under national protection.

"Images captured by infrared cameras show that Nyingchi is home to some rare species, such as the Bengal tiger and the snow leopard, and an annual average of 500 black-necked cranes spend winter in the city every year, accounting for nearly 5 percent of the bird's total population," Dradul, deputy head of the city's bureau of forestry and grassland, told China News Service.

"Our bureau always provides major support to the biodiversity survey along the Yarlung Zangbo River Grand Canyon. As of the end of last year, a total of 80 species of animals were recorded within the canyon."

Additionally, the city's wildlife rescue station has played a key role in protecting animals. In 2021, the city helped rescue 56 rare animals.

Last week, police officers from the city's Lunang Police Station found an injured alpine vulture while on patrol. The bird was sent to the local clinic for treatment of a fracture of its right wing. It was physically weak as it had not eated for days. It was taken to the local bureau of forestry and grassland for further treatment.