Government of India will hold a meeting to review “preservation plans” for snow leopards and other wildlife animals with the representatives of six states/UTs including J&K and Ladakh on March 9.
“The meeting is scheduled on Tuesday (March 9, 2021) in which Wildlife Protection Department officials from J&K, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim will also be present to share their respective plans for protection and preservation of snow leopard and other wild animals,” Chief Wildlife Warden, J&K, S.K. Gupta said.
Gupta said that they have prepared a proposal for protection of snow-leopards, mountain goats (Ibex), Hangul, and other wild animals.
To ascertain the population of snow leopards and ibex in the Kishtwar High Altitude National Park – Marwah and Dacchan and adjoining areas, he said, they have planned a high level of survey in this summer. Kishtwar High Altitude National Park is spread over 2200 sq km and is linked to Drass – part of Ladakh Union Territory where reports have suggested presence of snow leopard (listed as vulnerable), he said.
“The survey will help the department to ascertain the population of wild animal especially endangered species and accordingly their preservation plan will be chalked out,” he added.
Gupta said that they will send their teams of experts in advance so that they can start a survey and lay camera traps in undisturbed areas where the Wildlife Protection Department has got reports of presence of snow leopards, ibex and other wild animals to get photo evidence.
“Even as we do not have photo evidence of snow leopard so far, but the nomads who go to these areas have reported presence of large numbers of ibex goats – favourite meal of snow leopard— as well as the presence of snow leopard,” he added.
Recently, he said, they have got first photographic evidence of presence of snow leopard in Gurez (Bandipora) which was earlier not available.
He said: “We have only five to six months of summers from May to September-October to conduct the survey because these areas become inaccessible during winters as mostly they remain snowbound.”
The survey will be completed this year, he added.
He said that there were around 200 to 250 snow leopards in erstwhile J&K majority of them in Ladakh. In the Union Territory of J&K, he said there might be 30 to 35 snow leopards in areas like Kishtwar, Thajiwas in Sonamarg, and other high altitude areas of Kashmir.