News Highlight
The first-ever recording of the snow leopard is from the Baltal Zojila region in the higher altitudes of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Key Takeaway
- Camera trapping exercises by researchers from Nature Conservation Foundation (India), partnering with J&K’s Department of Wildlife Protection, also raised hopes for other important and rare species in the northernmost part of India.
Snow leopard
- About
- The snow leopard is a felid in the genus Panthera native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia.
- Scientific Name: Panthera uncia
- Habitat:
- Mountainous regions of central and southern Asia-China, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia & Mongolia.
- In India-Western Himalayas: Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh.
- Eastern Himalayas: Uttarakhand and Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
- Diet:
- Carnivore and hunt blue sheep, Argali wild sheep, ibex, marmots, pikas, hares, etc.
- Features:
- One of the world’s most elusive cats, perfectly equipped to thrive in extreme, high-elevation habitats.
- Insulated with thick white-grey coats spotted with large black rosettes and wide, fur-covered feet, they act as natural snowshoes. The tail helps in balancing and also covers the body while sleeping.
- Threats:
- Increased conflict due to the expansion of human settlement and livestock grazing.
- Poaching for trade in body parts and fur.
- Climate change and shrinkage in habitat.
- Protection Status:
- IUCN: Vulnerable
- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
- CITES: Appendix I
Conservation Efforts by India:
- Flagship species:
- The Government of India has identified the snow leopard as a flagship species for the high altitude Himalayas.
- The Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection:
- India has also been part of the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection (GSLEP) Programme since 2013.
- Himal Sanrakshak:
- It is a community volunteer programme to protect snow leopards, launched in 2020.
- SECURE Himalaya:
- The SECURE Himalaya project is a part of the “Global Partnership on Wildlife Conservation and Crime Prevention for Sustainable Development” (Global Wildlife Program).
- Global Environment Facility (GEF) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) funded the project.
- Project Snow Leopard:
- It was launched in 2009 to promote an inclusive and participatory approach to conserving snow leopards and their habitat.
- Breeding programme:
- The Snow Leopard conservation breeding programme is undertaken at Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, Darjeeling, West Bengal.
Content Source: The Hindu