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20 Years Anti-poaching Action in "Panda Corridor" of Sichuan Province
Date: 2017-04-17

 

  Burdening around 30 kilos, he has walked over 10km in the uninhabited mountain area at an altitude of 4000m every day. At night, he has slept in the cold rock shelter and in the daytime, he has climbed up steep slopes which were more than 1000m high. Sleeping under the sky, drinking the iceberg snow water to quench thirst and the home brewed herb wine to dispel the cold, he has no other professional outdoor equipment in addition to tent and sleeping bag. To him, 20 years are not a long time. As a farmer from Qiangethnic minority, he is tired of hearing the screams of creatures under the shotgun and fire, so he has set up a team by the revenue of raising yaks to start the long-fight with poachers within an area of 200km2 in "Panda Corridor" of Jiuding Mountain, Maoxian County, Sichuan Province. (Photo & text/by Legal Evening News, Pu Xiaoyuan (Source from Legal Evening News).

 

 

  At 65 years old, Yu Jiahuais an ordinary Qiang farmer. Unlike other farmers, he has taken the initiative to patrol the mountain for anti-poaching and incorporated "Maoxian County Jiuding Mountain Wildlife Friends Association". It is not a professional climbing team, but a group of anti-poaching Qiang farmers who are patrolling in Jiuding Mountain with pots, pans, ropes and woven bags. The picture shows the wire hunting sets taken from the mountain as well as the skulls of wild animals such as forest musk deer, alpine musk deer, goral and yellow weasel. This is only a small part of near 90,000 hunting sets removed by the patrol near a decade. (Source from Legal Evening News)

 

 

  90,000 hunting sets are not a large number. However, to distribute them in the mountains, it is enough to slaughter all wild animals and extinct the species thereon. The steel wires, hunting sets are like poisonous roots piercing into the skin of the earth. Fortunately, they found and removed these obstacles in the no man's land in last 20 years. (Source from Legal Evening News) 

 

  70 kilos is not a long distance. However, to accomplish the route, the 7 Qiang farmers have to walk 8 days by carrying around 30kilos dry food pack in the snowysteep mountains at the altitude of 3,000 to 5,000m. Because of the reporter's whole course follow-up interview, this trip is only half of their daily mountain patrolling route. The picture shows the team members found the steel rope set by the poacher at 15:00 of December 5, 2015 and quickly began to dismantle. (Source from Legal Evening News)

 

 

  The mountain patrolling shall be made 8 to 10 times every year, and each time costs about 10 days, with the whole course of more than 100 km. Because of the protection of the patrolling team, the number of some endangered species has increased a few times. Finally, the once extinct serows came back and the number of endangered musk dear increased a few times. (Source from Legal Evening News)

 

 

  Burdening around 30 kg, he walked over 10km in the uninhabited mountain area at an altitude of 4000m every day. At night, they slept in the cold rock shelter and in the daytime, he climbed on more than 1000m steep. They climbed over the snow cliff at an altitude of near 5000m and then walked down from the snow slope at an altitude of 4300m. They walked on the ridge of mountains and sea of clouds, slept under the sky, drank the iceberg snow water to quench thirst and the home brewed herb wine to dispel the cold. (Source from Legal Evening News)

 

 

  Pitching camp and cooking meal with the pots they carried. When a pot of cooked rice and the bacon with cabbage cooked in the hotpot sauce were prepared, the night enveloped the entire mountain. The bonfire in the shed revealed crackling sound and the dancing flames became the sole light in the radius of dozens of kilometers. Team members unpeeled peanuts for the wine. A home brewed herb wine rotated back and forth in the hands of a few men, relieving fatigue while dispelling the cold. After drinking the wine, they prepared the meal and started to eat by sitting in two circles. After the clean-up of the meal, the team members chatted around the bonfire because there was no power and phone signal and then they slept in their sleep bags. However, the cold air blew in from the uncovered shed. (Source from Legal Evening News)

 

 

  The so-called base camp is only a shed built by plastic and branches on a prominent rock in half of the mountain. (Source from Legal Evening News)

 

 

  The shed is only 10m2, which is very filthy due to the accommodation of numerous passers-by. A few blankets and bed mattresses casually scatter on the ground, and the colors have been covered by dust and dirt. However, it is quite good for bedding, which is damp-proof and warm keeping by putting the sleeping bag on it. Outside of the shed, there is a stream ringing along the mountain, which also derived its name from the sound. Fortunately, the team members did not have to walk one kilometer to get a pot of water. (Source from Legal Evening News)

 

 

  After waking up, the mountain was again covered by snow. The snow became heavier in the afternoon, so the mountain patrolling had to be postponed. As the leader, Yu Jiahua once again emphasized to the members, once you found any poachers, do not disturb them to avoid conflicts. The picture is the 65-year-old Yu Jiahua, hunched, carrying a woven bag weighing around 30kg, and walking on the cliff curves covered with rocks with his rubber shoes. (Source from Legal Evening News)

 

 

  Together with Yu Jiahua, there are 6 mountain patrollers, including his son and grandson. They are carrying pots, foods, or bags of tents and sleeping bags. In addition to these, this team walking at an altitude of above 4,000m throughout the year has no other professional equipments. In the early patrolling, Yu Jiahua promoted environmental awareness to the hunters, but was often encountered the answer of "None of your business." So he had to change the ways. If there were a large number of poachers, he only recorded the clues; if the number of people on his own side was greater, he would try to make the poachers to hand over their guns. As a result, there is a saying that "Do not go to Jiuding Mountain, it is under the protection of Qiang people." (Source from Legal Evening News)

 

 

  Around the bonfire at night, Yu Jiahua recorded the general number of the wild animals seen in the day to make the mountain patrolling log. The guarding of three generations over 20 years has made the number of endangered animals increase. The mountain patrolling is 8 to 10 times every year, and each time costs about 10 days, with the whole course of more than 100 km. Because of the protection of the patrolling team, the number of some endangered species in Jiuding Mountain has more than doubled.Last year, they even found the traces of giant pandas."A few years ago, the number of some endangered animals like forest musk deer, alpine musk deer were small, a few dozens in 2,000. However, the number increased to over 100 after 2,000, increasing several times. The extinguished serow also emerged." Xie Chenghua, Director of Sichuan Baodinggou Natural Reserve Director, told the reporter. (Source from Legal Evening News)

 

 

  During 20 yearsanti-poaching, 3 poachers have been found and delivered to the police by the patrol. Regarding his outstanding contribution, Yu Jiahua was awarded "National Ethnic Unity and Progress Individual Model", "Sichuan Good Man", "Aba Good Man" and other honors in the past year and this year. (Source from Legal Evening News)

 

 

 

 

 

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