Lake sheep successfully bred at high altitude

In a groundbreaking achievement, Zhejiang A&F University has announced the successful breeding of huyang, or lake sheep, at an altitude of 4,600 meters in Nagchu, Xizang autonomous region.

It's the first time that this type of sheep has completed a full breeding cycle at such a high altitude. As of now, the initial batch of 14 lambs from seven ewes has been delivered, Nagchu's agriculture and rural bureau said on Tuesday.

The sheep — 10 males and 10 females — were transported from Zhejiang province to Nagchu in July last year over the course of four days. Before the journey, extensive collaborative research was conducted on the animals' adaptability in high-altitude environments by institutions in both Zhejiang and Xizang.

Yang Jinyong, deputy head of the agriculture and rural bureau of Nagchu, said that the successful birth of the huyang lambs after the mating, pregnancy and birthing processes at such a high altitude holds significant implications for future research on animal adaptability and reproduction in high-altitude regions.

Introducing the sheep to Xizang came with an array of challenges, including the long journey and the significant change in temperature. To help the huyang get acclimated, they were carefully transported in air-conditioned vehicles as they left Zhejiang's blistering heat behind.

"Unlike local sheep with longer growth cycles and limited lambing rates, lake sheep have shown the ability to birth more than two lambs (at a time), offering the potential to increase lambing rates for local communities," Yang said. "Following the pure breeding of lake sheep in Nagchu, crossbreeding took place, resulting in seven ewes giving birth to 14 lambs. Hybridization with local sheep is expected to lead to further lambing at the end of October or early November."

In Nagchu, huyang are being raised alongside local sheep in pens to facilitate their adaptation to the high-altitude environment. The observation of their lambing rates will determine the potential for large-scale promotion of the breed in the future. This project aims to increase sheep production and ensure environmental protection while boosting the incomes for local residents, Yang added.

La Zhenxing, director of agricultural and animal husbandry (grassland) at the Science and Technology Research and Promotion Center in Nagchu, said the twinning rate of breeding huyang ewes reached as high as 80 percent, and the survival rate of the lambs was 87.5 percent, demonstrating the outstanding adaptability of the lake sheep in the plateau environment.

Wang Chong, a professor at the Zhejiang A&F University who is in charge of technical support in the lake sheep breeding process in the high-altitude region, said that due to the sheep's advantages — including their high lambing rates, good maternal instincts and suitability for industrialized farming, as well as the fact that crossbreeding lake sheep with other breeds can increase the lambing rates of those breeds — the introduction of huyang holds significant importance to Nagchu.

"Moreover, the number of introduced individuals is limited, and the successful pure breeding in Nagchu this time indicates that in the future, direct breeding of lake sheep in high-altitude regions will be possible," said Wang, adding that this success is crucial for both expanding and promoting the lake sheep population and improving local breeds.

Lake sheep, primarily found in regions around Taihu Lake in Huzhou, Zhejiang, as well as in Shanghai and Jiangsu province, are known for their barn feeding habits and high reproductive rates, making them a valuable addition to livestock breeding efforts nationwide, with successful introductions in around 30 provinces and regions in China.