Birthing season for the Tibetan antelopes is coming to an end. Some of the mothers have set out on their journey back home. They're heading for Sanjiangyuan, the habitat for Tibetan Antelopes, from Zonag Lake, the site where most of them give birth. Wudaoliang is a stop on their way home. But the seasonal migration means dangers lay ahead.

Time for the return home. These Tibetan antelopes take the lead on the journey home, with little new family members in tow.

A place with tasty grass and fresh water is enough to entice them to stop for a while, after the exhausting birthing period.

The Qinghai-Tibet Highway is not far away away.

The bustling highway shoulders over 90 percent of the country's freight transportation to Tibet.

Traveling through areas of high altitude, it crosses over major mountains and rivers in the country's northwestern region.  

Niu zhenwen, head of Wudaoliang section of Qinghai-Tibet highway, said, "We will not exploit the plants here as materials, and we'll send baby Tibetan Antelopes to the protection center if they get lost."

For timid Tibetan Antelopes, the heavy traffic on the road poses a grave challenge, as they have to cross it to get home.

They wander around hundreds meters away from the highway, waiting for the best time to dart to the opposite side.

Their appearance signals an increasing number of Tibetan antelopes are coming in the following days.

 
A little Tibetan antelope born just for several days is looking for food by the Zhuonai Lake of Hoh Xil.

Li Shengli, staff member of Wudaoliang section of Qinghai-Tibet highway, said,"When it comes to Tibetan antelopes' returning period, we work to ensure vehicles are moving slowly, and we'll stop them if Tibetan antelopes are coming in large numbers, they come first."

42-years old Chen Chunmei has worked half of her life in maintaining the highway. She sees a sharp contrast in Tibetan antelopes' protection between now and past.

“The number of Tibetan Antelopes is increasing a lot. I used to see many poachers in the past, but things began getting better from last year, now they can have grass even when we're working in nearby places."

The annual migration of Tibetan Antelopes catches headlines each year, more and more people are planning to visit to see one of nature's most spectacular choreographed rituals.

A tourist said, "We stopped just now to watch the Tibetan Antelopes, a fresh experience. We know we cannot use the horn and should limit our speed."

"I'm going to Hol Xil, I've seen several Tibetan Antelopes, I was careful when driving, and I would stop the car if they are about to cross the highway."

Perils posed by transportation infrastructure is the flip side of the region's rapid economic development. There has been increasing calls to upgrade the Qinghai-Tibet highway.

Experts are trying to figure out ways to make the landscape more migration-friendly, such as building crossings over highways, so the extreme weather, as well as busy human activities, will have less impact on ancient Tibetan Antelope rhythms.