Overview

Hoh XIl is the main habitat of the national first-class protected Tibetan antelope. Tibetan antelopes have been widely hunted by poachers because they can bring high profits. In just ten years, the total number of Tibetan antelopes decreased by two-thirds. On January 18, 1994, Sonan Dajie, deputy secretary of the Zhiduo County Party Committee of Qinghai, was shot to death during the arrest of 18 poachers. A year later, his brother-in-law and deputy secretary of the county party committee, Zaba Dorje, established the "Western Wild Yak Team," an armed, anti-poaching organization whose main purpose is to protect wild animals. Its effectiveness has been touted by environmental protection organizations at home and abroad, as well as relevant central ministries and commissions. However, just as Dhabal Dorje was preparing to "do a good job," in his own words, he was suddenly shot in the head at home and died.