Tashi Sange. [Photo by Geng Dong]
While many lamas stay within the confines of their temples to study Buddhism or pursue spiritual enlightenment, 40-year-old Tashi Sange has turned his attention to ecological protection and the plight of one extremely rare local bird.
Documentary Bird Whisperer from Shanshui Conservation Center's (SCC) Geng Dong, reveals the very interesting life of a man who has dedicated himself to saving the lives of Qinghai's wildlife.
A kanbu (top scholar) in Tibetan Buddhism, Sange is the founder and director of Nianbaoyuze Conservation Association, recording changes in the local Qinghai environment and protecting ecological systems.
Geng spent three weeks living with Sange after meeting him two years ago. "I was quite moved when I heard his story. He spends nine months a year traveling and observing birds," Geng told the Global Times. "Local people call him the lama of birds."
Sange's hometown is a small village beside a lake under Nianbaoyuze Mountain. He was sent to the temple when he was just 13 years old.
"I loved birds before I came to the temple for there is lake near my home and there were a lot of birds around the lake," Sange says in Bird Whisperer.
"He told me that he imagined those birds were like his father and mother, for temple life at the beginning was boring and dull," Geng explained.
Sange spent much of his free time at the temple observing birds. At 15, he began recording his observations, with his hobby turning into a lifetime passion.
Since then Sange has observed over 390 bird species and he has detailed pictures of over 320 species. Learning painting and observation skills at the temple, he has filled 71 notebooks with meticulous illustrations and daily records of birds and knows over 30 species thoroughly.
"I have to say that his way of research is very similar to modern scientific ways, including recording every part of a bird's behavior, their enemies and the environment," Geng said.
