Chinese Tourists Fined $16,000 After Chasing Endangered Animals in an SUV for a Photo

Tibetan antelopes are considered endangered due to excessive poaching. Chang Tang Nature Reserve in Nagqu County is home to 200,000 Tibetan antelopes, according to CGTN.

Despite that, a group of tourists driving in their SUVs and off-road vehicles still relentlessly chased the endangered animals for over a minute, according to Shanghaiist.

In addition, the insensitive Chinese tourists had entered a Tibetan nature reserve considered to be off-limits just to take the illegal photographs.

However, their efforts didn’t pay off, but instead cost them a hefty fine of 15,000 yuan ($2,262) each. Since seven tourists were caught in the act, the amount of their fine totaled to a whopping 105,000 yuan ($15,840).

The lengthy chase could have led to the death of the endangered antelopes due to exhaustion. While park rangers found no endangered antelope casualties following the chase, the culprits were still held accountable for their actions.

This goes to show that tourists are just as capable of endangering animals as much as poachers and hunters. But not all wildlife authorities are known for preserving animals’ well-being, since there are some cases where they are the ones who are responsible for mistreating and selling-off the creatures.