The Tibetan antelope is leading the race to become the 2008 Beijing Olympic mascot, according to a survey released by the China Wild Animal Protection Association.

The final decision will be announced on June 1.

Besides the antelope, the other major candidates are the giant panda, the Chinese tiger, the golden monkey and the red-crowned crane. But the Tibetan antelope is seen by many as the natural choice.

The animal lives on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau at altitudes between 4,000 and 5,500 meters above sea level and can run at speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour.

In the 1980s and 1990s, some 20,000 Tibetan antelopes were killed by smugglers because a shawl made from their hair could fetch as much as US$30,000.

The Tibetan antelope is now protected by the government, and numbers 50,000 after dropping to as low as 15,000 in 1998. The campaign to make it the Olympic mascot is believed will draw further attention to the animal's protection.

As home to the antelope, Qinghai Province in Northwest China is pulling out all the steps to get its candidate selected. During the Labour Day holiday, supporters of the bid from 22 regions in China, including Hong Kong and Macao, gathered in the province to push for the animal's selection.

A song is currently being composed to bolster the antelope's chances of winning. "The spirit of the Tibetan antelope should be the spirit of people in Qinghai. The bid is also a good way to publicize the less developed province," said Provincial Governor Song Xiuyan.

The province began its campaign in 2003 with an application to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games organizing committee.

(Xinhua News Agency May 23, 2005)