U.S., Chinese Researchers See Signs of Yak Population Recovery

This domestic yak was photographed in Nepal. Because of its rarity and remote habitat, the wild yak is not often photographed at close range.

Washington — A scientific team representing American and Chinese institutions has discovered a population of almost 1,000 wild yaks in a remote area of Tibet, a sign that this over-hunted breed may be recovering.

The New York–based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) reported on the discovery, a collaborative effort with the University of Montana and the National Geographic Society. In China, Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve and Qinghai Provincial Forestry Bureau supported the research project.

The team counted 990 wild yaks in Hoh Xil, a reserve of about 62,700 square kilometers of rugged terrain in the Tibetan-Himalayan mountains. The remote region is unpopulated by humankind and is sometimes called “the third pole” because of its Arctic-like conditions and some 17,000 glaciers.

Wild yaks are the third-largest mammal native to Asia, WCS reports, behind only elephants and rhinos. The species is considered vulnerable, although scientific knowledge of the breed is incomplete given their remote habitat. It is known that herds were once a common sight across the landscape, but overhunting decimated the population some 50 years ago. The wild yak — Bos mutus — is considered a different species from the domesticated yak, which is kept widely across Asia in agricultural settings.

A WCS press release compares the Himalayan yaks to the American bison in a couple of ways. Though the creatures have not been scientifically examined, the yak is considered to be similar in size and weight to the bison. The largest land animal in North America, an adult male bison can stand almost two meters tall, and weigh in at 1,800 kilograms.

The damage done to the yak herds by overhunting is compared to the severe culling of the American bison population that occurred on the Great Plains of the United States in the 19th century.

Like the American bison, the opportunity for the population to recover looks promising, with Chinese conservationists taking steps to protect surviving populations. The Qinghai provincial government recently launched several new policies and regional projects, developing what WCS describes as "a sound basis for wildlife and environmental conservation in this region."

"Wild yaks are icons for the remote, untamed, high-elevation roof of the world," said Joel Berger, who led the expedition for WCS and the University of Montana. "The recent count of almost 1,000 wild yaks offers hope for the persistence of free-roaming large animals at the virtual limits of high-altitude wildlife."

The Qinghai foresters and the Hoh Xil reserve administrators have enforced what WCS describes as "an aggressive anti-poaching campaign" that has reduced clandestine hunting in the reserve. The reserve area itself supports conservation because it isolates the wild population from the domestic species found elsewhere in the region. The potential of hybridization when the two species are in close proximity can also act as a detriment to preservation of Bos mutus. Disease is another threat to the wild yak.

WCS continues to work with Chinese conservationists to develop a long-term program to protect wild yaks. The research team will continue to evaluate its findings from the expedition, attempting to learn more about what impact climate change may have on the ecosystem of the high elevation region.