Regarding the snow leopards, which were on the verge of extinction, some good and encouraging news has recently been reported. Also, this good news also arrived on the special occasion of International Snow Leopard, October 23.
There has been an increase in the population of Snow Leopards. The snow leopard population has increased by 121. “Ghost of the Himalayas” is another name given to the Snow Leopards.
According to the principal conservator Sameer Sinha, till 2016, the population of snow leopards was as low as 86. Sinha further added, “If we compare Uttarakahnd’s latest count with a 2016 study, we have reason to be happy. The census has been done in a scientific way for the first time. And the Internation Union for Conservation of Nature has now downgraded the snow leopard population from ‘endangered to vulnerable”
The census count for Snow Leopards in India
For the first time in India, there was a census count conducted for leopards in the Uttrakhand state of India. The census count for snow leopards has been done officially by the Indian government since it was done last in 2019.
Uttarakhand has its major portion regions like Leh, Ladakh, and Himachal Pradesh. Uttarakhand is also a trans-Himalayan range that attracts thousands of tourists from across the globe.
According to the Mohd Sajid Sultan, the regional warden of Leh- Ladakh region says, “Since the high altitude area here (In context with Leh-Ladakh) is very vast, that is, it is approximately 45,000 sq. km. The count might take a long time because of the huge area. In spite of the huge area, 7% of the area has been covered for the counting of snow leopards”.
Who took the counting of them in Uttarakhand?
The count of leopards in Uttarakhand was carried out jointly by the forest department of Uttrakhand and the Wildlife Institute of India. In the counting, the Union Ministry of Environment, forest, and climate change were included.
According to the censuses, there are 12 countries where there are 3000-7000 snow leopards. There are still 4000 fewer big elusive cats. This shows how difficult it is to count the elusive bears. In a talk with the official Mr. Sinha, “ As the leopards live in a low-density area, there are chances of Leopards being low in number”.
Where are snow leopards found usually?
The big elusive cats are found at an altitude of 9800 ft – 17000 ft high in the rugged regions. According to a study conducted, the count of tigers is estimated to be 73, by 2021. Further, a point to be noted is that the 73 were adult leopards and not cubs. Earlier in Kinnaur and Spiti Valley, there were 62-65 leopards found in the wildlife sanctuary. In the wildlife sanctuary, most of the snow leopards are found.
Apart from this, the big elusive cats are found in Hemis-Spiti, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh, Nanda Devi Gangotri, Uttrakhand, and also in Khangchendzonga, Tawang from Sikkim to Arunachal Pradesh
