Himachal gets nod to tag snow leopards

The wildlife department of the Himachal Pradesh government has been given permission by the Centre to carry out a study of the highly endangered snow leopard.

"Half a dozen snow leopards will be tagged by global positioning system (GPS) collars and the behaviour of these elusive cats will be observed,"said Vivek Mohan, additional chief conservator, wildlife department.

An effort would be made to see how these cats travel in search of prey, and whether they get close to human habitations. According to an estimate, the entire project is expected to cost Rs 25 lakh.

A study centre will be set up at Kibber village, situated at around 14,200 ft above the sea level in Spiti valley. The region is a major habitat of snow leopards. According to a estimate, there are less than 30 snow leopards in the entire state.

A wildlife official on the condition of anonymity said the biggest challenge for the state's wildlife wing was to actually get hold of them as they are very shy of humans.