22 yaks pulled out of icy lake by firefighters in western China

The yak is a long-haired bovid found throughout the Himalaya region of southern Central Asia, the Tibetan Plateau and as far north as Mongolia and Russia. Most yaks are domesticated Bos grunniens. There is also a small, vulnerable population of wild yaks. Yaks are domesticated. They have been kept mainly for their milk, fiber and meat, and as beasts of burden. 

The yaks are used in transportation. They transport goods across mountain passes for local farmers and traders as well as for climbing and trekking. They also are used to draw ploughs. Generally, their milk is used to make ’Chhurpi’ a kind of hard cheese.  Butter made of yak’s milk is an ingredient of the butter tea that Tibetans consume in large quantities. It is also used in lamps and made into butter sculptures used in religious festivities. Nowadays, yaks are also used in sports such as yak racing, yak skiing and yak polo.

This is the heart-rending view in this video. The firefighters are pulling dead yaks from an icy lake. There were 22 yaks dead. They fell in to the lake while they were drinking water in western China’s Qinghai province. Yaks have been domesticated in the region for thousands of years. Their meat is naturally low in fat, while also being very high in protein

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