LHASA: As sunshine graces the foot of the snow-covered mountains surrounding Kamba County in southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, villagers from a local sheep breeding cooperative crack their herding whips to guide thousands of sheep out of their pen.
The county, sitting at an average altitude of more than 4,300 meters, registers an annual average temperature of only 1.5 degrees Celsius. Boasting a unique geographical environment, the county is well-known for its Kamba sheep in Xizang and the villagers here mainly rely on herding for a living.
In an effort to establish standardized herding practices, sci-tech commissioners have been dispatched to this county. Today, all sheep in Kamba have ear tags that allow for the tracing of their growth, contributing to a continuous increase in their numbers.
Lhapa Tsering, a member of the sheep breeding cooperative, was once a successful herder but now runs a restaurant here.
“I was finding it difficult to balance family life and herding before the cooperative was established in March 2019,” he said. The increasing number of sheep in his family demanded more time, while his aging parents needed more care.
In the past, when confronted with such a dilemma, villagers like Lhapa Tsering had no choice but to sell some sheep or ask their school-aged children to give up their studies and return home to herd the sheep.
However, villagers today have gained a new option, thanks to the sheep breeding cooperative. –Agencies
