Snow leopard declared new state animal of Ladakh
The government of Ladakh has declared snow leopard its state animal and black-necked crane state bird. A notification in this regard was issued on Tuesday by the Principal Secretary Forest, Ecology and Environment, Pawan Kotwal. Meanwhile, the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir had the black-necked crane and Kashmir stag (Hangul) as its state bird and animal respectively.
Both the black-necked crane and Hangul are rare species
"The Lieutenant Governor of Union Territory of Ladakh is pleased to declare snow leopard (Panther unica) and black-necked crane (Grus nicricollis) as state animal and state bird, respectively, of the Union Territory of Ladakh from the date of issue of this notification," Kotwal said in a notification. The officials also point out that both the black-necked crane and Hangul are rare species.
Black-necked crane is found in eastern Ladakh; Hangul in Kashmir
The officials also said that both species had been symbols of the state for a long time. While the black-necked crane is found in eastern Ladakh, Hangul is in Kashmir. Following the bifurcation into separate administrative divisions, the black-necked crane could no longer be the state bird for the UT of J&K and the Hangul could no longer be the state animal of Ladakh.
There are between 200-300 snow leopards in Ladakh alone: Experts
Experts put the population of snow leopards to be between 200-300 individuals in Ladakh alone and speak about the fragile relation of their healthy population to the overall natural health of the mountains. Meanwhile, the black-necked crane is found only in Eastern Ladakh's high-altitude wetlands and marshes and is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN red list.
Habitat loss threatens extinction of the black-necked crane
The birds arrive in Eastern Ladakh's high-altitude wetlands and marshes as early as March for breeding and leave by October end or early November. Their habitat loss could lead to the extinction of this species, at least from this region.
