7 fined for chasing protected antelope

Seven people were fined 105,000 yuan ($15,830) for chasing Tibetan antelope in a nature reserve in the Tibet autonomous region, the local forestry department said on Sunday.

At 5:20 pm on Wednesday, a group of seven tourists in two SUVs drove off a public road and into the Siling Co Nature Reserve in Nagchu prefecture, said Deng Zhonghua of Lhasa's public security bureau.

The reserve, covering 18,936 square kilometers including Serlingtso Lake, is the world's largest habitat for black-necked cranes. The reserve is also home to about 30,000 Tibetan antelope, a first-class State-protected species.