Status and trends of Tibetan plateau mammalian fauna, Yeniugou, China

We conducted surveys focusing on the unique and vulnerable ungulate species in Yeniugou, Qinghai province, China, during September 1997 to compare pop ulation estimates with those from the early 1990s. The status of two ungula te species appeared essentially unchanged since 1990-1992: wild yak Bos gru nniens (about 1200 to 1300 animals) and Tibetan gazelle Procapra picticauda ta. The status of one ungulate species, the white-lipped deer Cervus albiro stris, appeared to improve, from a very few to close to 100. We are unsure how the status of the Tibetan wild ass Equus kiang compares with that of th e early 1990s. The status of three species declined during the period: blue sheep Pseudois nayaur and argali Ovis ammon declined slightly (Possibly du e to a weather event), and the Tibetan antelope Pantholops hodgsoni decline d dramatically (probably due primarily to poaching), from over 2000 estimat ed in 1991 to only two seen during 1997. Poaching of antelope has become a serious problem throughout the Tibetan plateau in recent years, and this su rvey provides evidence that an entire subpopulation can disappear (either t hrough mortality, movement away from human disturbance or a combination) wi thin a relatively short time-frame. That some species (e.g. wild yak, white -lipped deer) continue to thrive in Yeniugou is heartening, but even they r emain vulnerable to market-driven poaching. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.