Moon Bear Bonanza!

Greetings Everyone,

The last leg of our Chinese mammal-watching extravaganza was a visit to Tangjiahe Nature Reserve. It was a long transfer to Tangjiahe but we made good time to Chengdu where we dropped off Erling. Sadly he wouldn’t be joining us in Tangjiahe. We stopped in the town of Qingxi for dinner and were entertained by the owner making fresh noodles for our soup.

Making Noodles

We finally arrived in Tangjiahe well after dark and took the opportunity to do a bit of spotlighting along the main road. We saw our first Takin and several Reeves' Muntjac along the way. The Takin is a big draw for the reserve. It’s a strange looking beast resembling a cross between a goat and an antelope. The Takin is considered vulnerable by the IUCN due to overhunting and habitat loss. In China, it is listed as endangered and is protected by law.

Takin

After checking into our very comfortable hotel, we walked along a trail above the river. We saw more Takin, Reeves' Muntjac and our first Northern Hog Badger. Care had to be taken when returning to our hotel room as the Takin like to graze on the hotel lawns. They can get quite ornery if you surprise one but we had no such encounters.

Northern Hog Badger

We didn’t get up early for the following morning’s walk so missed close encounters with a Masked Palm Civet and Northern Hog Badger. We vowed to drag ourselves out of bed on subsequent mornings. My disappointment was soon forgotten when I spotted a large dark shape in a tree across the river. Through my binoculars, I could see that it was an Asiatic Black Bear, a lifer for us! Also called a Moon Bear because of the white V-shaped marking on its chest, the Asiatic Black Bear is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN mainly due to hunting for bear bile. In this case, the medicinal value of bear bile is real owing to the active ingredient of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). In controlled, clinical trials UDCA has been shown to have many of the medicinal properties claimed by traditional Chinese medicine such as reducing fever and inflammation, detoxifying the liver, arresting convulsions, improving eyesight, and dissolving gallstones. Although a synthetic alternative is available many Chinese prefer bear bile as it is believed to be more effective. To reduce the pressure on wild bear populations, China and several other Asian countries now have Asiatic Black Bears farms were bile is extracted from live bears, a practice that is harmful to the bears and creates a demand for wild cubs to restock these farms. The best solution is to convince consumers that synthetic UDCA is just as effective as bear bile and that purchasing living bear UDCA is morally wrong.

Asiatic Black Bear

We rushed to get the rest of the group as they had wandered off to wait for the bus into the reserve. They were just as ecstatic as us and for most of the group, this too was their first Asiatic Black Bear. We crossed the river on the footbridge to get a closer view and some photos. After snapping many, we left the bear in peace to continue feeding on fruits.

We took the next bus high into the reserve spotting a troupe of Tibetan Macaques along the way. We walked back along the road on high alert for Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys. Phil spotted two high up on a distant ridge but the rest of the group missed them. We joined Roland and Sarah on a mission to climb the ridge to locate them. It was very steep going with a lot of tree-grabbing to hoist ourselves up. When we arrived close to the top the monkeys were nowhere to be seen but it was a grand adventure nonetheless.

Climbing the Ridge

After lunch, we took a bus back into the reserve and were dropped off at the rangers’ station. We had reports that a Tufted Deer was hanging out there. Sure enough, a habituated individual emerged from the bushes and wandered to a plate of rice that the rangers had left for it. This deer is native to China and is hunted by locals so we were lucky to great views of this species that is normally difficult to see.

Tufted Deer

After dinner, we went on our first proper night drive. We spotted Takin, Chinese Goral, Northern Hog Badger, our only Chinese Serow (in this reserve) and a tiny bat hanging from a limestone cliff. Phil thought that is was a Japanese or Chinese Pipistrelle but bats are tough to identify.

Pipistrelle

We did join the early morning walk but the Northern Hog Badger that was so obliging yesterday was nowhere to be found. We spotted Takin and Reeves' Muntjac only. Today we opted to explore another part of the reserve since a large number of dignitaries had arrived for the annual “Fall Foilage Celebration”. We drove down the road and took a public bus to the start of our hike up the Motainling Valley. There was a large group of Chinese tourists but we soon left them behind as we started the climb. Birds were the star today as the mammals remained elusive. Roland was on the hunt for Temminck’s Tragopan and took us off-trail to find them. Sadly, no such luck. We returned to the main trail where a Chinese woman desperately sought our attention. She excitedly pointed to her iPhone and then to the bushes. I rushed up to her and saw that she had a beautiful photo of a Temminck’s Tragopan. We searched the area and Marc was able to get a decent shot.

Temminck’s Tragopan

We continued to the top to the ridge to scan for mammals. Sometimes Giant Pandas are seen here but we weren’t so lucky. The stunning view of the Motainling Valley was ample reward for our efforts.

Motainling Valley

We did another night drive after dinner seeing the same cast of characters but Roland did find us a new species, a Malayan Porcupine.

Malayan Porcupine

We were rewarded for getting out of bed early the next morning with a beautiful Leopard Cat sitting on a grassy slope across the river! We finally got a prolonged view and good photos of this feline who had been eluding us on this trip.

Leopard Cat

After breakfast, we returned to “Red Leaf Valley” to resume our search for the Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys. We failed in our attempt so in the afternoon we decided to follow up on a lead and go to the Defense Pass Trail where there were reports of sightings. We didn't see any monkeys but found the famous “Watch out for The Rolling Stones” sign.

"Watch out for The Rolling Stones"

On the way back down, we ran into our driver who was very excited about something. He kept pointing across the valley. Finally, we spotted an Asiatic Black Bear feeding high in a tree. Amazing, two Asiatic Black Bears on the same trip! The rest of our group was already onto the bear. It wasn’t as close as our first encounter but it was still fun to observe the bear feeding. As we were watching a second bear, then a third bear appeared. Incredibly, this was a sow with two cubs! What a rare privilege to see not one but four Moon Bears in the reserve. We hope Tangjiahe remains a safe haven for these beleaguered bears.

Asiatic Black Bear

We returned to the hotel thrilled with our astounding luck. In the dining room that night Phil told Brad Josephs who was leading a Natural Habitat Adventures group about our encounter with the bears. We met Brad in Churchill, Manitoba in 2012 while we were searching for Polar Bears. What a small world! Brad would take his group to hopefully see the bears in the morning.

We went on our final night drive after dinner seeing mainly the same mammals: Takin, Reeve’s Muntjac, Chinese Goral, Masked Palm Civet, Northern Hog Badger, another Malayan Porcupine, and Marc was finally able to get a photo of a Confucian Niviventer.

Confucian Niviventer

On the morning of October 27, we checked out of the hotel for the long drive back to Chengdu. A group of Tibetan Macaques was raiding the trash cans and one cheeky individual stole a bag of oranges from a Chinese woman.

Tibetan Macaque Raiding a Trash Can

On the way out we stopped at Defense Pass where the Natural Habitat Adventures group was just leaving. They had seen an incredible 5 Asiatic Black Bears, 3 adults, and 2 cubs! They had moved off so we missed the show. We weren’t at all disappointed having seen four bears ourselves. We didn’t arrive in Chengdu until 8:00 pm. Our amazing 6-week trip to Mongolia and China was coming to an end. What a successful journey it has been having logged nearly 60 species of mammals (see list below) in China alone. Many of these animals are endangered and were lifers for us. It is our sincere hope that the unique wildlife of China can continue to survive in areas that are seeing more and more human encroachment. As the standard of living for so many Chinese continues to improve so too should their commitment to protecting their incredible natural heritage increase. 

Our sincere thanks to Phil Benstead and Roland Ziedler for showing us the many wonders of Labahe and Tangjiahe Nature Reserves! 

We hope all is well with everyone.

Peggy and Marc

    China Mammal List: September 26 - October 27, 2018

No.	Species	Scientific Name	Notes
1	Tibetan Macaque	Macaca thibetana	Labahe & Tangjiahe
2	Red and White Giant Flying Squirrel	Petaurista alborufus	Labahe
3	Complex-toothed Flying Squirrel	Trogopterus xanthipes	Labahe
4	Swinhoe’s Striped Squirrel	Tamiops swinhoei	Labahe
5	Père David's Rock Squirrel	Sciurotamias davidianus	Ruoergai & Tangjiahe
6	Chinese Giant Flying Squirrel	Petaurista xanthotis	Ruoergai
7	Himalayan Marmot	Marmota himalayana	Ruoergai  & Qinghai
8	Malayan Porcupine	Hystrix brachyura	Tangjiahe
9	[Chinese Zokor]	Eospalax fontanierii	Ruoergai  (dead)
10	Confucian Niviventer	Niviventer confucianus	Labahe & Tangjiahe
11	Blyth’s Vole	Phaiomys leucurus	Qinghai
12	Tibetan Dwarf Hamster	Cricetulus alticola	Wenquan Pass, Qinghai
13	Midday Jird	Meriones meridianus	Chaka, Qinghai
14	Moupin Pika	Ochotona thibetana	Baixha, Qinghai
15	Black-lipped Pika	Ochotona curzoniae	Ruoergai  & Qinghai
16	Glover’s Pika	Ochotona gloveri	South of Yushu, Qinghai
17	Tsingling Pika	Ochotona huangensis	Huzhu, Qinghai
18	Gansu Pika	Ochotona cansus	Huashixia, Qinghai
19	Woolly Hare	Lepus oiostolus	Ruoergai & Qinghai
20	Japanese or Chinese Pipistrelle	pipistrelle sp.	Tangjiahe
21	Pallas’s Cat	Otocolobus manul	4 in Ruoergai  & 1 in Qinghai
22	Chinese Mountain Cat	Felis Bieti	2 in Ruoergai
23	Leopard Cat	Prionailurus bengalensis	1 in Labahe & 1 in Tangjiahe
24	[Snow Leopard]	Panthera uncia	Tracks on the Er La, Qinghai
25	Tibetan Wolf	Canis lupus filchneri	6 in Ruoergai  & 10 in Qinghai
26	Tibetan Fox	Vulpes ferrilata	Ruoergai  & Qinghai
27	Red Fox	Vulpes vulpes	Rueorgai & Qinghai
28	Asiatic Black Bear	Ursus thibetanus	1 & sow w/2 cubs in Tangjiahe
29	Red Panda	Ailurus fulgens	At least 3 individuals in Labahe
30	[Giant Panda]	Ailuropoda melanoleuca	Dujiangyan Panda Center
31	Asian Badger	Meles leucurus	2 seen in Ruoergai
32	Northern Hog Badger	Arctonyx albogularis	Tangjiahe
33	Mountain Weasel	Mustela altaica	2 in Qinghai
34	Siberian Weasel	Mustela sibirica	1 unconfirmed in Labahe
35	Steppe Polecat	Mustela eversmanii	1 in Ruoergai
36	Kiang	Equus kiang	Qinghai
37	Wild Boar	Sus scrofa	Tangjiahe
38	Reeves' Muntjac	Muntiacus reevesi	Tangjiahe
39	Forest Musk Deer	Moschus berezovskii	4 in Labahe
40	Alpine Musk Deer	Moschus chrysogaster	1 in Huzhu, Qinghai
41	Siberian Roe Deer	Capreolus pygargus	Ruoergai  & Huzhu, Qinghai
42	Sika Deer	Cervus nippon	1 in Ruoergai
43	Tufted Deer	Elaphodus cephalophus	1 in Tangjiahe
44	[Altai Wapati]	Cervus canadensis sibiricus	Introduced to Labahe
45	Kansu Wapiti	Cervus canadensis kansuensis	Dulan Mts. in Qinghai
46	MacNeill’s Wapiti	Cervus canadensis macneilli	“Greentours Valley”, Qinghai
47	White-lipped Deer	Cervus albirostris	Qinghai
48	Sambar	Rusa unicolor	Labahe
49	Goitered Gazelle	Gazella subgutturosa	Qaidam Basin, Qinghai
50	Tibetan Gazelle	Procapra picticaudata	Chang Tang, Qinghai
51	Przewalski's gazelle	Procapra przewalskii	41 near Koko Nor, Qinghai
52	Tibetan Antelope (Chiru)	Pantholops hodgsonii	Chang Tang, Qinghai
53	Wild Yak	Bos mutus	Chang Tang, Qinghai
54	Takin	Budorcas taxicolor	Tangjiahe
55	Chinese Serow	Capricornis milneedwardsii	Baixha & Tangjiahe
56	Chinese Goral	Naemorhedus griseus	Labahe & Tangjiahe
57	Argali	Ovis ammon	Zhiduo, Qinghai
58	Blue Sheep	Pseudois nayaur	Qinghai & Ruoergai

Our route map:

The Red Pandas of Labahe

Greetings Everyone,

After a very successful trip to the Tibetan Plateau, we flew back to Chengdu to embark on the next leg of our journey a visit to Labahe Nature Reserve. We said goodbye to our trip leader Jesper Hornskov and picked up a new guide, Roland Ziedler for our extensions to Labahe and Tangjiahe Nature Reserves. Labahe is a 6-hour drive to the southwest of Chengdu and we didn’t arrive until the night of October 19. Despite the long drive some of us were eager to search for mammals so we grabbed our torches and went on a night walk up the road. A light drizzle was falling but the animal viewing was quite good. We encountered some very tame deer on the road which at first we thought were Sambar but they turned out to be Altai Wapiti introduced recently from a deer farm. We also saw Chinese Goral, Chinese Serow, Red-and-White Flying Squirrel and a Forest Musk Deer, a lifer for both Roland and Phil.

Altai Wapiti

We left very early the next morning as we had permission to enter the reserve early to avoid the masses of Chinese tourists who were sure to arrive later. Located in the Hengduan Mountains, Labahe Nature Reserve is one of the best places in China to see Red Pandas. The vegetation and altitude of the reserve make it the perfect habitat for the Red Panda. We drove up in darkness spotting only a single Sambar. It was still too early for Red Panda so we hiked up to Azalea Lake. On the way, we spotted our first Swinhoe’s Striped Squirrel and at the lake was another Forest Musk Deer. We returned to the main road and climbed higher when Phil spotted a Red Panda feeding in a nearby tree! At this time of year, the pandas come down from the higher elevations to gorge themselves on berries to fatten up for the upcoming winter. Our group enjoyed great views at a responsible distance and took many photos.

Red Panda

After dinner, we went on a night drive. We drove up the road which ended at a high-end resort that was all lit up with kissing swans, a rainbow-colored waterfall and a Christmas tree! It was very surreal. Sadly, Labahe is turning into more of an amusement park for Chinese tourists complete with a zip-line, obstacle course, cable car and of course this "Vegas-styled" resort.

Kissing Swans

We drove back down the road seeing more mammals including Masked Palm Civets, Complex-toothed Flying Squirrel, Chinese Goral, Sambar, Red and White Giant Flying Squirrel, and Confucian Niviventer. It was nice knowing that somehow wildlife was able to coexist with all the development that was going on to amuse humans.

Chinese Goral

The next morning our special permission to enter the reserve early in our own bus was revoked and we had to wait and enter with the other tourists on a public bus. Unfortunately, a beautiful male Lady Amherst’s Pheasant was spotted by Erling but being on a public bus we couldn’t stop and we missed it completely. We were driven to the top of the road where the cable car rides were just getting underway. We walked down the road on the lookout for Red Pandas but saw none. We made it down to the “zip-line road” and started the climb back up to make a second pass for pandas. Sarah and Cathy spotted a Swinhoe’s Striped Squirrel close by and we got good views and photos.

Swinhoe’s Striped Squirrel

We resumed our climb when Sarah spotted something in a tree far up the road. To our amazement, it was a Red Panda, a great find! He was lying in the open on a branch and there was a clearing where we could get off the road and set up our scopes and cameras to view and photograph the panda. We watched the panda sleep, groom and feed for almost an hour. This fellow (I’m assuming it was a male) had a tattered right ear while the panda we saw yesterday had an intact right ear so this was a different individual.

Red Panda

Red Pandas are endangered mainly due to habitat loss and fragmentation. 98% of their diet consists of bamboo and pandas are exposed to other threats when they have to cross unsuitable habitat to find new stands of bamboo. Red Pandas are also susceptible to canine distemper which is fatal to them. As more people, particularly herders, encroach Red Panda habitat, contact between domestic dogs (and their excreta) and Red Pandas increases. Hunting for the pet trade seems to be increasing as they are “cute” and endearing creatures.

Red Panda

On our last day in the reserve, permission to enter early was granted and we drove to the top of the road. Our driver who had never been to Labahe before spotted our third Red Panda near the top of the road! This was the highest elevation that Roland had ever seen a Red Panda at. This individual wasn’t as obliging as the previous two and climbed down the tree and disappeared in the thick understory of bamboo.

Red Panda

We walked back down the road when suddenly Phil spotted a second Red Panda! It was “Snippy”, the panda with the missing right ear that we had seen yesterday. It was our fourth Red Panda sighting of at least three different individuals. It was great to see the pandas doing well despite the amount of human encroachment going on. As long as large tracks of forests are kept intact and people and their dogs stick to the main road, Red Pandas have a chance of surviving here.

Red Panda (Snippy)

We walked back to our bus parked at the entrance to the “zip-line road" and decided to walk to the end of the road. It was a good decision as Cathy spotted a Forest Musk Deer quite close and we got our best view yet of this hard-to-see species. Like the Red Panda, the Forest Musk Deer is endangered. It is hunted for its highly prized musk used in cosmetics.

Forest Musk Deer

We opted to walk back to the hotel and encountered some Tibetan Macaques forging naturally off the road. However further down we saw a Chinese woman being accosted by a macaque. She had food and the macaque wanted it. He grabbed her shirt and she ended up tossing her food just to get the monkey away from her. We walked past at a safe distance but the macaque bared his teeth showing his ferocious canines. Feeding the macaques makes them aggressive and dangerous. There was a sign posted along the road about not feeding them. One of the last sentences said, “if you are bitten, don’t panic, wash the wound and go to your doctor for a rabies shot”. Very disconcerting! 

Tibetan Macaque

We went for a final night walk on our own not seeing much so we headed back to the hotel. We ran into some of our group heading out for a late night drive so we joined them. I spotted a Leopard Cat sitting on the side of the road! The cat moved off before Marc could get a photo but it was our best view of a Leopard Cat yet. We also saw Masked Palm Civet, Red and White Flying Squirrel, Chinese Goral, and Sambar.

Masked Palm Civet

Red and White Flying Squirrel

The next morning we left Labahe for the long drive to Tangjiahe Nature Reserve. Despite the amount of development going on at Labahe, wildlife including some endangered species appear to be hanging on. Hopefully, the Chinese government will realize that tourists come to Labahe to enjoy the natural beauty of the area and to see mammals that are becoming increasingly difficult to find elsewhere.

Fall Foliage

Given enough space to feed, breed and find shelter most animals will do just fine. It is our sincere hope that Labahe Nature Reserve will continue to provide a safe haven for China’s Red Pandas and other amazing wildlife for many years to come!

We hope all is well with everyone.

Peggy and Marc

Our route map: