LHASA: As sunshine graces the foot of the snow-covered mountains surrounding Gampa county in Southwest China’s Xizang autonomous region, villagers from a sheep breeding cooperative crack their 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 C. Boasting a unique geographical environment, the county is well-known for its Gampa sheep, and the villagers mainly rely on herding for a living.
In an effort to establish standardized herding practices, scitech commissioners have been dispatched to the county. Today, all sheep in Gampa have ear tags that allow herders to keep track 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.
“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 such as 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 a new option, thanks to the cooperative. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
