Snow leopard sighted in Kumaun region of U'khand

A snow leopard, one of the rare species of the cat family, has been sighted by camera traps for the first time in Kumaun forests of Uttarakhand, Chief Conservator Forests, Kumaun Rajendra Singh Bisht said today.
The official also described the spotting as an occasion "worth celebrating" by wildlife lovers all over the world.
Camera traps set up as part of wildlife estimation in the higher ridges of alpine and snowbound areas of Kumaun region by the forest department captured, for the first time, the unmistakable scientific evidence of the presence of this rarest of rare species, Bisht said.
The camera trap set up about two months back near Sunderdhunga glacier at an altitude of 4,100 metres in Glacier Range of Bageshwar forest division, 260 kms from here, captured the photo of the snow leopard.

The report along with photo of the snow leopard has been received from the field team consisting of foresters and young wildlife researchers, Bisht said.
The presence of the snow leopard in the area indicates the area abounds in its prey such as Thar, Blue sheep and Musk deer.

The detailed report from other camera traps is awaited from the field.
The photograph shows that the captured animal is "very healthy and at its prime and promises bright future".
The analysis of scat and DNA profiling will also be taken up at the earliest to determine the preferred food and prey availability as part of long term study, said Bisht.

Within a short period of two months of setting of the camera trap, capturing the snow leopard is also an indicator of wildlife improvement and ecosystem integrity in the region, he said.
The Chief Conservator Forest further points out that in the habitat management many biotic factors including presence of large number of Yarsagumba (Cordyceps sinensis) collectors is an area of concern.