For eight years now since 2009, no Tibetan antelope have been hunted in Hoh Xil at Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Region in western China’s Qinghai province, according to the administrative department of the Sanjiangyuan National Park on June 19.

The animal’s numbers have grown to more than 60,000, as the ecological environment in the area has been improved and protection of the animal has been enhanced.

No Tibetan antelope have been hunted since a 2009 agreement on cooperating to crackdown on the illicit hunting of the animal in three adjacent nature reserves, including Altun Mountains in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Qiangtang in Tibet Autonomous Region and Hoh Xil in Qinghai province was reached.

Although the animal was once listed as an extremely endangered animal, it became an almost endangered species in 2015, after its population recovered well, according to a report released by China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection and Chinese Academy of Sciences in May 2015.