Initially, the Tibetan Mastiff was primarily known among a small group of people, such as livestock herders, but eventually gained widespread recognition in China. The value of Tibetan Mastiffs skyrocketed during this period, with prices reaching tens, hundreds, or even billions of dong for a single dog.
As the frenzy for Tibetan Mastiffs subsided, a significant number of unsold dogs were abandoned in the wild, becoming feral dogs on the plateau. They gathered together, forming “legions” led by a dominant dog, fighting off snow leopards and stealing food from wolf packs. Currently, these Tibetan Mastiff legions appear to reign supreme on the plateau.
Tibetan Mastiffs abandoned in nature have become feral dogs on the plateau.
In the primordial Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, there were no dogs resembling the Tibetan Mastiff. Around 24,000 years ago, some dog breeds from lower altitudes migrated to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau with early settlers.
Over a long period of living on the plateau, some of these dogs interbred with ancient Tibetan wolves, resulting in a new generation of puppies that carried half the genes of Tibetan wolves, including a key gene that enables them to adapt to high-altitude life – EPAS1, which is also found in several high-altitude species.
Under the influence of this gene, the puppies gained the ability to regulate hemoglobin production, allowing them to survive for extended periods in low-oxygen environments.
Additionally, through the long process of evolution, they developed various adaptive traits, such as thicker fur, greater fat reserves, and larger body sizes, leading to the formation of the Tibetan Mastiff breed.
Tibetan Mastiffs are also popular in Europe and the United States.
Although Tibetan Mastiffs originated from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, they have also gained popularity in Europe and the United States. In the 1980s, this lion-like fluffy dog became highly sought after by foreigners, earning the nickname “Eastern Divine Dog.”
After the 1990s, the “Tibetan Mastiff craze” spread back to China, where many saw a business opportunity and began rapidly breeding large numbers of Tibetan Mastiffs. This led to a surge of interest, and the value of these dogs increased accordingly.
Some aesthetically pleasing Tibetan Mastiffs could be sold for millions of USD, and in 2011, a purebred Tibetan Mastiff was sold for 10 million yuan (over 32 billion dong).
Some Tibetan Mastiffs with appealing appearances can be sold for millions of USD.
In reality, the economic bubble surrounding Tibetan Mastiffs was predictable, as they are a breed adapted to high altitudes and their physical structure makes them unsuitable for lowland living. Their aggressive nature also makes them ill-suited for average households.
As incidents of Tibetan Mastiffs causing harm to people increased and public interest began to wane, their prices plummeted, and the bubble burst in 2013.
The demand for owning Tibetan Mastiffs vanished, leading to a significant market decline and a lack of timely regulation, resulting in a large number of Tibetan Mastiff owners unexpectedly disappearing.
The enormous daily food costs have caused many dog kennels to go bankrupt.
At that time, Tibetan Mastiff breeders still held on to a glimmer of hope, wishing that the market would recover and that their Tibetan Mastiffs could be sold at a good price. However, this hope has yet to materialize, and the enormous daily food costs have led many dog kennels to bankruptcy.
Consequently, an increasing number of Tibetan Mastiffs have become homeless feral dogs, wandering the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau all day long. Initially, these Tibetan Mastiffs formed small groups and mostly stayed close to villages, scavenging or stealthily hunting livestock for food.
An increasing number of Tibetan Mastiffs have become homeless feral dogs.
The process of domesticating animals from the wild into pets takes a considerable amount of time, but the process of rewilding pets back into the wild can occur in a much shorter timeframe. Over time, new individuals continuously emerged, and a large number of feral Tibetan Mastiffs gathered to form massive hunting packs on the plateau.
Although many began to underestimate Tibetan Mastiffs after the “Tibetan Mastiff craze” subsided, it cannot be denied that this breed is incredibly large and possesses a fiercely aggressive temperament.
Perhaps solitary Tibetan Mastiffs may not stand a chance against snow leopards and Tibetan brown bears, but feral Tibetan Mastiffs that move in packs are a different story. As a result, ordinary wild animals cannot compete against a pack of Tibetan Mastiffs. Even famous predators on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, such as Tibetan wolves, snow leopards, and Tibetan bears, must retreat when confronted by a pack of feral Tibetan Mastiffs.
This breed is incredibly large and possesses a fiercely aggressive temperament.
In 2016, a scholar from Beijing captured a series of photos on the plateau showcasing the dominance of feral Tibetan Mastiffs.
Under the leadership of a dominant dog, the Tibetan Mastiffs chased off snow leopards, stole food from Tibetan wolves, and repeatedly forced brown bears to retreat.
A wandering pack of Tibetan Mastiffs possesses strength that rivals that of wolves. Their presence has altered the dynamics of wildlife on the plateau, undermining the snow leopard’s position as the king of the plateau.
A wandering pack of Tibetan Mastiffs possesses strength that rivals that of wolves.
Of course, the emergence of feral Tibetan Mastiffs cannot be entirely blamed on dog breeding farms. A significant portion of the wandering Tibetan Mastiffs also comes from families of livestock herders.
These herders transitioned from their original nomadic lifestyle to urban settlement, making it impractical to keep Tibetan Mastiffs, which led to the abandonment of their dogs.
