Original title: Behind the “Xie Dajia” car accident: Why did the Alashan camel take a walk on the road
On August 9th, Yu Yuexian, the famous actor and actor of “Xie Dajiao” in the TV series “Country Love”, died in a car accident in Alashan, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
According to the relevant person in charge of the traffic police detachment of the Public Security Bureau of Alxa League, the SUV that Yu Yuexian was riding in collided with two camels on the road. The accident caused Yu Yuexian’s unfortunate death, the driver and other passengers were injured, and two camels were killed. Cause of the accident is being investigated.
In the relevant news comment area, many people were puzzled by the camels on the road at will. But in fact, in the Alxa area known as the “Chinese Camel Township”, it is easy to see camels roaming around on both sides of the road, and traffic accidents caused by camels are not uncommon.
China Business News reporters have visited the Alxa League many times in recent years, and many of the Gacha and herder families interviewed have also raised camels. In Jilantai Town of Alxa League, the local herdsmen often organize the “Susuo·Thousand Peaks Camel Culture Festival” Naadam activities spontaneously to protect and promote the unique camel culture of Alxa.
A local herder, Erdenwula, told China Business News that most of the camels seen on the grassland have owners, and camels will recognize themselves as their families. There are also wild camels, but not many. Artificially bred camels are not afraid of people and vehicles. When drivers in pastoral areas saw camels, they either slowed down or went around.
Alxa League is located in the westernmost part of Inner Mongolia, with the largest area and the smallest population among the 12 league cities in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
According to recent statistics, the league has a total population of 250,000, and the number of camels in stock reaches a peak of 120,000. Alxa is the hometown of camels, and it is currently undergoing transformation and upgrading to expand and strengthen the camel industry.
Hometown of Camels
The S228 line where the accident occurred was a provincial highway. It should be noted that in many highways in the west, there are no middle guardrails and side guardrails. The local herders told the China Business News reporter on the phone that there are corresponding prompts along the highway in the pastoral area, but the number is very limited. Because the road is flat and straight, there are few people, and the speed is usually very fast. At night with limited vision, it is difficult to respond to emergencies in a timely manner.
A car owner who has experienced many self-driving in the west posted a message on the Internet to express his condolences. He believes that the occurrence of the tragedy may involve three risk factors: the driving time of more than 3 in the morning, the special road conditions in Alashan, and the driving reaction when encountering an accident in a pastoral area.
Near villages, it is common for camels to cross roads. Some herders also told the media that if drivers do not understand camel habits, the probability of a car accident will be higher.
The reporter inquired on the “Leadership Message Board” of an Alxa League. On July 20, 2020, there was a message saying that in recent years, many camels were hit and killed by cars on the road between Alxa Right Banner and Jinchang. People cause economic losses and bring hidden dangers to people’s travel. The message suggested that fences should be erected on both sides of this road section to prevent livestock from entering.
The inspection office of the Alxa Right Banner Committee stated in its reply that in order to effectively strengthen road safety management and control in farming and pastoral areas, fully guarantee the safety of people’s lives and property, effectively prevent traffic accidents caused by livestock on the road, and continuously regulate and improve motor vehicle drivers. The traffic police brigade of the Qi Public Security Bureau is applying for green reflective tape to the traffic management detachment of the Union, which is planned to be distributed to herders along the route (tethered between the necks of livestock) to remind passing vehicles to pay attention to livestock.
The reply stated that Sumu (township-level administrative region) will be urged to prevent livestock from getting on the road by pulling uninterrupted fences along the road and repairing damaged fences. At the same time, a rectification notice was issued to Gacha (administrative villages) along the route, urging Su Mu and Gacha to actively promote to farmers and herdsmen, manage their livestock, and stay away from the road.
According to experts, my country is one of several important bactrian camel producing areas in the world, with a total of about 300,000 heads. Among them, Alxa bactrian camel, Xinjiang bactrian camel, and Sunite bactrian camel are the most important species. Distributed in arid, desert and grassland areas in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, Gansu and other provinces. Alxa is the region with the largest number of bactrian camels in my country, accounting for about one-third of the country’s total.
According to Wang Lixing and Ren Yuxia, staff members of the Alxa Investigation Team of the National Bureau of Statistics, Alxa League is a traditional grassland animal husbandry area, and its population of Bactrian camels in the Alxa League has long been in the forefront of the country.
According to Wang Lixing, in Alxa League and other places, camels are scattered and roam around naturally. Because of its soft hoof characteristics, it not only will not trample and harm the grassland, but also can promote the regeneration of vegetation and fertilization, reduce insect pests, and reduce rodent damage. It is the main regulator in the desert biological chain.
Has been included in the National Intangible Heritage List
Historical data show that Alashan has a history of camel domestication for more than 5,000 years, and it is one of the earliest domesticated places for bactrian camels. This makes camels and the desert ecological environment form a harmonious and symbiotic relationship.
“Alxa people grow and migrate together with camels, and the unique Mongolian camel-raising custom, which mainly consists of camel worship, camel racing, and camel gear making techniques, has been included in the second batch of countries. Class intangible cultural heritage protection list.” Wang Lixing said.
Wang Lixing introduced that camel is the theme of nomadic people’s history, economy and ecology, and it is also one of the cultural symbols of Alxa. For nearly a century, the human-animal interaction model represented by the unique transportation mode of camel transport has played an important role in the external communication, material exchanges, and economic and cultural exchanges in the Alashan area.
Da Lintai, a researcher at the Churiya Pastoral Area Ecological Research Center in Inner Mongolia, told China Business News that goats, sheep, cattle, horses and camels on the grassland have different feeding preferences. On the pasture, the Mongolian herders emphasized that the availability of five kinds of livestock is a professional economic requirement. The closer you are to the desert, the greater the number of horses and camels; the closer you are to the market, the greater the number of sheep and goats.
Wang Lixing introduced that in recent years, with the introduction of national protection policies, the number of camels in the Alxa League has gradually recovered. Data from the 2018 Summer Animal Husbandry Census showed that the number of camels in the Alxa League returned to a peak of 120,000.
Camel industry has huge business opportunities
In 2017, the “Guiding Opinions of the Administrative Office of the Alxa League on Promoting the Economic Restructuring of Agricultural and Pastoral Areas and Accelerating the Industrialization of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Industries” and 6 related supporting policies were issued, positioning the Alxa Bactrian Camel as a high-end animal husbandry industry Characteristic industry.
Wang Lixing and Ren Yuxia conducted investigations on the number and profit of camel breeding in Alashan area. Data show that in 2020, the local camel meat market price will be around 50 yuan/kg, camel milk around 70 yuan/kg, and camel hair around 55 yuan/kg. Based on the calculation of 100-humped camels, the net income of camel products can reach about 150,000 yuan.
At present, there are more than 2,000 herders raising 20-400 camels in the Alxa League, 74 professional cooperatives involved in the camel industry, and 1,624 members. The government has established more than 10 standardized-scale professional camel-raising cooperative milk source bases through civil construction and public assistance, and supported 108 ecological farms for breeding Hundred-humped female camels.
There are 5 gachas in Yabulai Town, Alxa Right Banner. A reporter from China Business News learned that these 5 gachas are creating a new pattern of characteristic industries of “one village, one product”: Keshu tourist scenic spot; Yihe Huduge Gacha relies on the construction of milk station and roadside advantages to develop the camel industry and build tourism station for the camel team; Badain Jaran Gacha relies on the natural advantages of the sand sea to develop the tourism industry. In these several Gachas, camels played an important role.
In Bayintaohai Gacha, Alateng Aobao Town, Alxa Right Banner, the Tuowang Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Professional Cooperative has been established, and infrastructure such as milking parlors, camel pens, fodder rooms and office buildings have been built. At present, the cooperative has more than 300 peaks of camels and 200 peaks of milking female camels. It has also increased Gacha’s collective economic income by purchasing milking females to raise them at the base.
According to a reporter from China Business News, many domestic businesses have discovered huge business opportunities in the camel industry in recent years.
At present, Alxa League has 6 camel hair product processing companies, 10 camel meat processing companies, 3 biotechnology and functional product companies using blood fat and other camel products as raw materials, 8 camel tourism and cultural companies, and camel milk processing companies. And 11 cooperatives.
Up to now, Alxa Right Banner, relying on desert and sand-born resources, has cultivated and formed a characteristic agriculture and animal husbandry industry led by the camel industry. The annual output value of the camel industry has reached 130 million yuan, and the income from camel raising accounts for more than 50% of the net income of farmers and herdsmen. .
Focusing on the goal of building a “national camel industry R&D and production base”, Alxa Right Banner has also intensified the research and development of camel products in recent years, and established the first camel research institute in the country, the Inner Mongolia Camel Research Institute. Return to Sohu to see more
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