Title
Observations on the Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsoni)
Author(s)
Schaller G.B., Ren Junrang, Qiu Mingjiang
Published
1991
Publisher
Applied Animal Behaviour Science
Abstract
Tibetan antelope or chiru (Pantholops hodgsoni) favor flat to rolling terrain at 4000-5000 m, an elevation where vegetation is scant and patchy. The species still ranges over ~800 000 km2 of the Tibetan Plateau, and about half of this area remains devoid of people. Although chiru may aggregate by the hundreds and even thousands, as some populations are migratory, average density is low; in one survey area it was 0.2 animals km-2 and in another it varied from 0.6 to 1.6 km-2 depending on availability of grass which is the chiru's principal forage. In winter, most grasses had a crude protein content of <5%, probably below that needed to maintain body weight. Following a blizzard in October 1985 a disproportionate number of females and young died of malnutrition when forage was snow-covered, and this affected population composition in subsequent years. Herds seldom contained >25 members; sexes tended to segregate outside the rut. The rut began in late November with males displaying to females and each other and exhibiting several distinctive behavior patterns. The chiru's range has contracted in recent decades owing to unrestricted hunting. However, one tract, 400 000 km2 in size, in the northwestern part of the plateau is so far without human pressure, and it should be legally designated as a conservation area for the protection of chiru and other unique wildlife inhabiting the Tibetan Plateau. © 1991.
Keywords
antelope; chiru; conservation; density; feeding; habitat use; reproductive behaviour; Tibetan antelope; China, Tibet; Pantholops hodgsoni
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