Srinagar, Sept 1: The Ladakh union territory administration has declared snow leopard as the new state animal and black-necked crane as state bird two years after the UT’s split from the erstwhile J&K state in 2019.
The Administration of Union Territory of Ladakh declares 'Snow Leopard' & 'Black Necked Crane' as the State Animal & State Bird respectively of #UTLadakh @lg_ladakh @LAHDC_LEH @LAHDC_K @PIB_India @MIB_India @DDNewslive @airnewsalerts @PBNS_India @PBLadakh pic.twitter.com/cqM2hJdLMo
— DIPR Leh (@DIPR_Leh) September 1, 2021
A notification to this effect has been issued by the Principal Secretary of the UT’s Forest, Ecology and Environment Department on behalf of Lieutenant Governor, R K Mathur.
The snow leopard (Panther unica) and black –necked crane (Grus nicricollis) shall be the state animal and state bird respectively from the date of issue of the notification.
Pertinently, the black-necked crane, which was also the state bird of erstwhile state of J&K, is endemic to Ladakh in India. For the snow leopard, the mountainous region of the western and eastern Himalayas is the habitat of the big cat in India.
Hangul was the state animal of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir which also comprised Ladakh.
The state bird and animal are chosen from the unique flora and fauna in the particular state and UT, and represent the culture and the natural wonders of that particular State/UT. These symbols play a vital role in boosting conservation and protection efforts, and shine a spotlight on species that are integral to a state or UT.