A small band of male Tibetan antelope in Stipa grasslands at about 5,000m near Garco, northern Tibet.
Tibetan antelope define the vastness of the Tibetan wilderness.
Like caribou in Alaska and wildebeest in Africa, antelope migrate long distances across the Tibetan Plateau. In May, female antelope with their female young of the previous year, trek north from their winter ranges for 300 to 400 km to give birth in barren uplands on the northern edge of the Plateau. The ecology of these animals is still poorly understood and even the exact location of their birthing grounds are unknown. The antelope s migratory habitat indicates the need for an enormous territory or home range. Tibetan antelope have been badly persecuted for their valuable wool, known as shatoosh , which is the finest wool in the world.