Sable

Sables

　　At the Nanhu Head Aquaculture Farm, not only can you witness spectacular fishing scenes, but you can also observe workers raising precious fur-bearing animals such as sables and minks.

The mink farm is located by the lake, with rows of sloped mink sheds under which neatly arranged iron cage-like enclosures stand in order.

Sables belong to the order Carnivora, family Mustelidae, and are small, lightweight, nimble, and clever animals that resemble weasels. They have triangular faces, broad short ears, and a body length of about one foot, with tails around half a foot long. Wild sables are mostly found in dense coniferous forests, where they feed on squirrels and chipmunks, as well as birds, frogs, and sometimes pine nuts when food is scarce. The mountain forests of Jingpo Lake are home to the world-renowned Korean pine mother tree forests, which provide an ideal habitat for wild sables to live and breed.

Sable fur is considered one of the finest among animal pelts and is ranked alongside ginseng and deer antler as one of the “Three Treasures of the Northeast.” It is soft, smooth, warm, and even melts snowflakes upon contact, while water droplets simply roll off. It has earned the reputation of being “warmer in the wind, melting in the snow, and unaffected by water.” There are several types of sable fur, among which sable fur is the most precious and ranks first among sable furs. It is hailed as the “King of Furs” and, due to its high price, is also regarded as “soft gold.”

Currently, wild sables are becoming increasingly rare, and the species has been listed as a Class II protected animal by the state, with absolute hunting bans in place. To meet the needs of both domestic and international markets, people have turned to artificial breeding and reproduction. The Jingpo Lake Aquaculture Farm takes advantage of its superior natural conditions to raise large numbers of minks, pastel minks, and sables.

The mountainous region around Jingpo Lake has been an important sable fur-producing area since ancient times. The historical text *Book of the Later Han* states: “The Yilou people produce fine sables.” The *Ning’an County Annals* say: “The so-called Yilou sables are now commonly found in the mountains around Ning’an, with dark purple-black fur that is very light and warm...” In ancient times, the finest sable pelts were selected each year as tribute and sent to the capital.

Nowadays, scientific methods are used for artificial sable farming, resulting in higher survival rates, larger quantities, and better fur quality than in the past.