| Juniper trees and willows are common in the valleys of central Tibet and it is possible to come across wildflowers such as the pansy and the oleander, as well as unique indigenous flowers such as the tsi-tog (a light-pink, high-altitude bloom).
The east of Tibet , which sees higher rainfall than the rest of the region, has an amazing range of flora, from oke, elm and birch forest to subtropical plants and flowers, including Rhododendrons, azaleas and magnolias. It was from here that the intrepid plant hunters of the 19 th century took seeds and cuttings of species that would eventually becomes staples in English gardening.
If you are not trekking in Tibet and your travels are restricted to sights off the Friendship Hwy , you are unlikely to see much in the way of wildlife. On the road out to Mt. Kailash , however it is not unusual to see herds of Tibetan gazelles (fowa), Antelope (tso) and asses (kyang), particularly along the northern route.
Marmots (shiwa or piya) are very common and can often be seen perched up on their hinds legs sniffing the air curiously outside their burrows - they make a strange bird - like sound when distressed. The pika (chipi), or Himalayan mouse - hare, a relative of the rabbit, is also common. Pikas have been observed at 5250m on Mt. Everest , thus earning the distinction of having the highest habitat of any mammal.
A surprising number of migratory birds make their way up to the lakes of the Tibetan plateau through spring and summer. Tibet has over 30 endemic birds; 480 species have been recorded on the plateau. Birds include the black-necked crane, bar-headed goose and lammergeyer, as well as grebes, pheasants, snow cocks and partridges. Flocks of huge vultures can often be seen circling monasteries looking for a sky burial.
About 80 species of animals that ate threatened with extinction have been listed as protected by the Chinese government. These include the Snow Leopard (gang-zig), ibex (king), white-lipped deer (shawa chukar), Musk Deer (lawa), Tibetan Antelope (chiru), Tibetan wild ass (kyang), bharal, or blue sheep (nawa na), blacke-necked crane and Wild Yak. Omitted from the list is the very rare Tibetan brown bear (dom gyamuk), which stands up to 2m tall and can only be found in the forest of southern Tibet and the remote Changtang plateau. The Tibetan red deer was recently 'discovered' only 75km from Lhasa after a 50- year hiatus, as was a hitherto unknown breed of ancient wild horse in the Riwoche region of eastern Tibet. The horse bear a striking resemblance to theose shown in Stone Age pantings.
The chiru, a rear breed of Antelope, was placed on the Red List ( www.redlist.org ), a list of threatened species maintained by the World Conservation Union. Numbers in Tibet have dropped from over a million 50 years ago tp as few as 65,000 today. Poachers kill the animal for its shatoosh wool (wool from the animal's undercoat).
The illegal trade in Antelope cashmere, musk, bears paws and gall bladders, deer antlers and other body parts and bones remains a problem. You can often see Tibetan traders huddled on street corners in major Chinese cities selling these and other medicinal cures.
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