In recent years they have killed many millions of the double-humped Bactrian camels, yaks, sheep, cashmere goats and cows on which the nation's herders depend.
These hardworking rural dwellers make their living by herding horses, camels, goats, cattle and sheep for milk, cashmere, meat and other livestock products.
That means separating the unwanted coarse outer hair of the goats from the valuable ultrafine cashmere underfleece, which measures just 12 to 18 microns in width (one sheep wool fiber is more like 25 microns wide).