At 7 a.m. in the uninhabited area of Qiangtang in northern Xizang, night had not yet fully receded. Outside the iron gate of the Mari Wildlife Management Station in Nyima County,Nagqu City, a rhythmic "clang, clang" could be heard from time to time.

”Someone knocking at the door in an uninhabited area? Seeing the reporter's puzzled look, the station master, Phuchung, smiled and said: "These are two wild yak calves we rescued last year. They're already one year old. A while ago, in accordance with rescue standards and their ability to fend for themselves, the staff 'evicted' them from the station. But every day at this time, they come bumping against the door, begging for milk."

Though he said he couldn't keep spoiling them, Phuchung couldn't help but pick up the large feeding bottle, open the door, and walk out. The reporter saw two robust wild yaks, slightly smaller than ordinary adult cattle, trotting happily after him and eagerly gulping down the milk.

It turned out that one day in the second half of last year, a wildlife ranger from the station was on his regular patrol by motorcycle. From a distance, he spotted a small dark shape on the barren plain, curled up motionless on the ground. Approaching, he found it was a newborn wild yak calf, with no trace of its mother anywhere nearby. The tiny calf was shivering. The ranger wrapped it in his coat and brought it back to the station.

The station had basic facilities, and in the uninhabited area there was no source of milk replacer for livestock. The station had to purchase pure milk or accept donations from public welfare organizations, feeding the calf with a bottle. They set up windproof and warm enclosures, regularly monitored the calf's temperature, weight, and feeding, and named it "Nubu."

Soon after,the rangers found another injured wild yak calf in a river gully on the plain. Ranger Karma Chiley said: "At the time, it had injuries to its eyes and waist, and it was all alone. So we brought it back and named it 'Gaga'. "

The two little wild yak calves quickly became friends, grazing and playing together every day, doubling the liveliness at the station. "Sometimes they would come into the room, jump onto the Tibetan-style bed, and walk around like naughty 'children,'" said Karma Chiley. He felt that the arrival of the two little ones had made their lives much more interesting.

Though they had rescued many wild animals before, most rangers were caring for wild yak calves for the first time. Phuchung said: "When they were first brought back, they couldn't eat grass yet. We could only feed them with small bottles, three times a day, and each time they could finish several bottles. After seven or eight months, one calf's daily milk intake was roughly equivalent to what 10 adults would drink in a day."

As seasons changed, Nubu and Gaga gradually grew strong and sturdy. Their coats turned dark brown, and a wild glint appeared in their eyes. Everyone knew it was time to let them leave human care and fend for themselves.

To the surprise of these tough men, weaning turned into a tug-of-war: chased out today, they came back tomorrow; chased out again the next day, they returned the day after.

As a protected wild animal, the wild yak is a key species in the ecological chain of the uninhabited area. To help the two little ones survive independently in the wild as soon as possible, the rangers had to gradually reduce hand-feeding, from three times a day to two, and then to once a day. Karma Chiley said: "We took them to graze on more distant slopes, and we also added water to the milk, slowly weaning them off."

But the two wild yaks, having lived with humans for so long, had developed a dependency. Every time they were driven out, they would walk back to the station gate on their own and wait for that bottle of milk.

From the time they were rescued, when they couldn't even drink milk and had to be coaxed, to now, when they are too big to still be drinking it—but the emotional bond has grown so deep that letting go is hard. Phuchung gave a helpless, honest smile, rubbing his hands together. "They're so big now that when they drink milk, they almost knock us over. We have to be 'tough,' or they'll never return to the wild yak herds."

Returning animals to nature is their true destination. An official from the Nyima County Forestry and Grassland Bureau said that although the rangers were reluctant to drive them away in their hearts, they knew that true rescue is not raising them for life. After repeated "confrontations," the two wild yaks will eventually go from seldom returning to never "knocking" on the door again.

Past 8 p.m. in the uninhabited Qiangtang area of northern Xizang, the sun slowly sank behind the mountains. At the foot of the snowy peaks in the distance, herds of wild yaks were steadily walking across the vast grassland. One ranger said that Nubu and Gaga might be among those herds—that is their real home.

ReporterYang Shouyong, Lu Danyang, Lodro Gyatso

Translator: La Zhen, Zheng Yujie

First Review: Zhi Xinghua

Second Review: Li Chengye

Third Review: Hu Rongguo