Nature Conservation Foundation - Latest News Update, Information, Photos & Videos on Nature Conservation Foundation at Lokmat Times

Officials say this will assist them in learning more about the habitat, range and behaviour of the snow leopard and its wild prey."We are installing camera traps across the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP). These cameras will monitor the movement of the snow leopard and its prey species like the Himalayan blue sheep and the Asiatic ibex (a wild goat species)," Mysuru-based Nature Conservation Foundation Project Associate Ajay Bijour told on Tuesday.The camera traps are automatic cameras and installed at one place for minimum 60 days.Besides the snow leopard, other rare wildlife mammal species found in these rocky regions at altitudes of 3,200 m are the Tibetan wolf, Himalayan brown and black bears, blue sheep, ibex, red fox, weasel and yellow throated marten, besides several bird species.The wildlife wing of the Forest Department in Himachal Pradesh is carrying out the Snow Leopard Project in association with the Nature Conservation Foundation in the entire Himalayan region.Admitting that there could be a possibility of a good population of the snow leopard in the GHNP that ranges between the altitudes of 1,700 m to 5,800 m, Bijour said the area needs to be scientifically studied before starting a conservation programme.He said the Snow Leopard Project, started in 2018, would continue till 2020."The preliminary results from Spiti and upper Kinnaur areas, where camera traps were installed last year, are promising. We are installing one camera trap in 16 sq km area," he said.Nature Conservation Foundation studies show the density of one snow leopard per 100 square km in the Spiti Valley, northernmost part of Himachal Pradesh which borders Tibet.The foundation had earlier carried out the snow leopard occupancy survey in 2012 in Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur and Chamba districts through interaction with locals, mainly herders."There were some gaps in that survey. Now, those areas are being scientifically studied and we will be in a position to overcome those gaps too. After that we will be in a position to comment on the exact population of the snow leopard. Right now, we can only say the state supports its good population," Bijour added.According to wildlife experts, the rise in the population of abandoned dogs might pose a threat to the snow leopards and their food chain."The dogs usually attack in a pack and it's easy for them to hunt even big mammals like the Himalayan blue sheep. This might reduce the prey base of the wild cat," an expert said.They blame poor garbage management and the spike in tourist inflow in the high altitude area for the problematic situation.A graceful golden-eyed animal with thick fur, padded paws and a long tail and found in rocky regions at an altitude of 2,700 to 6,000 metres, the snow leopard is a globally endangered species.Rough estimates place the snow leopard global population at around 7,500.(Vishal Gulati can be reached at vishal.g@.in)( With inputs from IANS )

Nature Conservation FoundationFOLLOW

Nature conservation foundation, Latest News

Chennai, June 29 The forest officials of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) have constituted 24 teams to monitor ... ...

New Delhi, April 10 Cranes are famous for living in pairs, with partnerships forming for life. In India, ... ...

Chandigarh, April 3 In the farmlands of southern Haryana, a pair of woolly-necked storks get ready to leave ... ...

New Delhi, March 21 "I share a deep connection with the forest I live in. We are both ... ...

New Delhi, Feb 21 Possibly for the first time for a state in Asia, a citizen science effort ... ...

New Delhi, Oct 12 Hornbills are large, endangered, fruit-eating birds found across Asian forests with only certain fleshy ... ...

Shimla, Jan 31 The Himalayan range of Himachal Pradesh supports a good population of the wide-roaming snow leopard ... ...

In a first scientific study of its kind, the state Wildlife Department, in partnership with the Nature Conservation Foundation, is laying camera traps to study the elusive and highly endangered snow leopard in the alpine and high-altitude regions of ...