Rare sighting of gazelles on north China grasslands

Herds of Mongolian gazelle, an increasingly rare sight in northern China, have been spotted and photographed by border guards in the region.

The animals were seen in four to five herds about 60 strong running in grasslands in Xilin Gol in Inner Mongolia, the news website Tencent reported.

The animals are protected by law in China, but numbers have dwindled in the Inner Mongolia region because of hunting and their loss of habitat.

The number of the animals in Inner Mongolia may have fallen to as low as 500 three years ago, the Inner Mongolia Daily reported.

Patrols have been increased to help protect wild animals in the region, the Tencent report said.

The species is more numerous in Mongolia and parts of Russia, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, which tracks endangered species.