Rock sheep are under national second-class wild animal protection in China. In 1983, the Helan Mountain National Nature Reserve was established in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region to house the animals. Multiple measures including ecological restoration, mountain closure and grazing prohibition have been adopted by the region to improve ecological environment. The vegetation coverage rate of the reserve reached more than 65 percent. The number of rock sheep has since grown from less than 1,800 to more than 40,000 through years of protection. Now the Helan Mountains have become one of the regions in the world with the largest rock sheep population.
The video shows a group of rock sheep running and foraging on the cliffs. Enjoy the footage.
Video by Li Zhigang