Heavy snow blankets the desert. As patches begin to melt, a small group of kiangs stride out in search of grass. To get to kiang territory, Shangzhen climbed to an altitude of 4,300 metres carrying his heavy gear. ‘Every move was a big challenge,’ he says.
Kiangs are large wild asses mainly found on or around the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Although their population is stable, it is widely fragmented across the territory and increasingly threatened. As rangelands are turned into private ranches and fenced off from wildlife, kiangs lose access to key food sources.
China
Shangzhen is Director of the China Photographers Association, Director of the Qinghai Wildlife Protection Association and Vice Chairman of the Qinghai Wildlife Photography Association. He has been working and living on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau for more than 40 years, focusing on its wildlife environments and experiencing the impact brought by changes to the area.
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