Searching for wild Bactrian camels in the wilds and deserts of China
Notes from two expeditions into the Taklamakan Desert and The Lop Nur Wild Camel National Nature Reserve.
Written by John Hare - Chairman of the Wild Camel Protection Foundation - See www.wildcamels.com for more information.
I completed the 2011 spring expedition in China which Prince Albert of Monaco's Foundation for Endangered Species and Ran Fiennes's Transglobe Expedition Trust generously supported. The Trip consisted of two separate Expeditions.
Expedition One:
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| Expeditions to search for wild Bactrian camels are major undertakings in themselves. Credit John Hare. |
The purpose of this field expedition was to investigate a report that wild camels had been seen near the point where the Keriya River finally drains into the desert sands. We reached the end of the river having interviewed herdsmen and elders along the way and made our final investigations at the village of Dariya. After thorough research the conclusion we reached is that there are definitely herds of wild camels in the Taklamakan (possibly three herds) and their total number varies between 30 and 50.
Potential new population of 30-50 camels
The Xinjiang government did not give us permission to proceed further with domestic camels into the vast area of Taklamakan sand dunes because of our proximity to oil exploration. We had to terminate out investigations at Dariya - but our findings are highly significant. These 30- 50 wild camels are outside the area of the Lop Nur Wild Camel National Nature Reserve which WCPF helped the Chinese government to establish in 2002 after four surveys of the area.
Our next task is to work out how best to protect these herds of wild camels. It is NOT possible to create a new reserve among the shifting dunes of sand and it would be very difficult to manage the area. The conclusion I reached in discussion with the Chinese team was to concentrate on implementing an awareness-raising project for the local communities and a specific environmental education programme for the local schools. The local Chinese team would implement it through a series of Workshops and the distribution of awareness raising materials.
Based on the results of this expedition and field survey, WCPF will apply for further funding from Prince Albert's Foundation and other funding agencies.
Expedition Two:
I travelled with Yuan Lei, four Kazakh herdsmen and fifteen domestic camels on a 325 mile journey over two huge barriers of sand dunes from the Hongliugou valley to Lapeiquan Spring, which follows the southern boundary of the Lop Nur Wild Camel National Nature Reserve.
400 metre high sand dunes
The route we took had not been attempted before and we were slightly unnerved to find we were faced with sand dunes over 400 metres high, one which took over 2 hours to cross. The complete journey lasted just under three weeks. We encountered extremely low temperatures and two sand storms of considerable intensity, and our head Kazakh herdsman had his right arm removed from its socket by a kick from a camel. The arm was manipulated by the other three herdsmen and went back into place with a resounding 'plop' amidst a grind of gristle. Another Kazakh suspended himself upside down by one leg on a rope for half an hour to cure what he said was 'a swollen knee.'
Wild Bactrian camels are clinging on in some of the wildest, most remote and inhospitable habitat in the world. Photo credit John Hare.
We reached the spring of Kum Su which we had 'discovered' in 1999. A spring deep below the level of the desert sands and which contained not only fresh water but a naive population of wildlife - wildlife which had never experienced the presence of man. On returning there in 2005 from the east, we discovered the spring had been polluted by illegal gold miners using potassium cyanide. On my return to England in 2005 I protested through various channels (the Chinese Embassy in London, the Ministry of the Environment in Beijing, the National Geographic and the RGS) to the Chinese Government who said they would clean up the pollution. It was a huge relief to find they had kept their promise, and that the wildlife was returning. They are no longer naive, only too aware of what a polluting species 'man' is.
128 wild camels spotted - Very few juveniles
Lastly and by no means least, we spotted 128 wild camels out of a Chinese total population of 600, which was very encouraging. However, we were concerned to see very few two-year-old and three-year-old wild camels; the decrease is perhaps due to the increase in the wolf population. The Chinese government has forbidden herdsmen to carry shotguns, in the interests of 'security', so they cannot protect their flocks from predators and this has meant an increase in the wolf population.
Conclusions:
The Chinese provincial government in Xinjiang considers our expedition to have been a great success - and so do I.
- We confirmed there were 30 - 50 wild camels in the Taklamakan desert.
- We pioneered a previously unmarked route over huge sand dunes and proved it was negotiable. (All within the National Nature Reserve)
- We saw 128 wild camels
- We discovered Kum Su spring had been cleaned up by the Federal Government, and wildlife has returned to the area. 5.WCPF agreed a plan with the Chinese Nature Reserve Director for raising awareness locally of the importance of the wild camel - a Chinese Red Book listed species.
Lop Nur Wild Camel National Nature Reserve - The size of Europe
The wild camels in the Lop Nur Wild Camel National Nature Reserve appear to be holding their own and numbers are neither increasing nor declining to any significant degree. However, the pressures from illegal mining and wolf predation are increasing, and given the speed of Chinese economic development they will continue to do so. The Reserve Director is very conscious of this as he struggles with limited staff to maintain surveillance of the Reserve - an area the size of Europe.
With some members of the Provincial Council keen to maximize development within Xinjiang province, it may be some of the core areas of wild camel habitat within the reserve are re-defined by the authorities to allow areas where the wild camel never enters to be made available for strictly controlled mineral prospecting. This is a very difficult decision to support, however, if this can be counterbalanced by enforcing strict control within the core areas then given the continuous pressure to develop, this seems to be a way forward.
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