Though in other areas of Tibet automobiles have long replaced yaks, for the increasing numbers of mountaineers coming to prove themselves on Mount Everest, yaks are the most efficient means of transportation.

Zhaxizong township of Tingri county, located within the state-level nature reserve at Mount Everest, covers 30 administrative villages, according to Targyai, the township head.

"Almost every household here raises a couple of yaks in their backyard, so a special firm was set up in 1999 in which a certain number of yaks from different households participate to carry out transportation services when needed," said Targyai.

As Autumn is a prime season for mountaineering activities, Plenty of people from all over the world swarm to Mount Everest for mountaineering, tourism and expeditions.

Participating households in the same village usually take turnstransporting goods and materials for arriving mountain climbers, thus guaranteeing every household can benefit. So far there are 1,600 yaks registered with the transportation company.

Ngagwang Lhunzhub, 42, a farmer from Quzong Village of Zhaxizong township, joined the township yak transport company with his five yaks. Late last month, together with nine fellow villagers, he drove 35 heads of yak, from the headquarters at the foot of Mount Qomolangma (Everest) to the camp 6,500 meters above the sea level, to carry trash out.

Early in September, Ngagwang Lhunzhub and his fellow villagers also loaded up their yaks to carry cargo for a foreign mountaineering team to the same camp.

"It take three days for one single trip and I earn 25 yuan (about three US dollars) for one yak," he said. "I can make a smallfortune whenever I go into the mountain."

The yak transport service firm raked in 620,000 yuan (about 74,700 US dollars) in earnings last year, and the per-capita income of local farmers and herdsmen in Zhaxizong township rose to 1,197 yuan (about 145 US dollars) in the same year, according to Targyai.

(Xinhua News Agency October 12, 2002)