Vishal Gulati Kullu, Nov 28, : The presence of the endangered pheasant Western Tragopan is now more evident in the Great Himalayan National Park.This Unesco World Heritage site is located in the north-west Himalayas.
Its numbers are increasing and there are a host native avifauna species.However, park officials fear for their vulnerability in winter.
The Himachal Pradesh wildlife wings staff has been working overtime to protect the species, largely local poachers.
The Himalayan ranges of the park also support a large population of the wide-ranging snow leopard.
Most of its sightings are reported at lower elevations than the protected areas, in search of winter prey.
IANS was informed by officials involved in the anti poaching exercise that camera trapping devices were being installed in at most 50 locations.
This exercise was also used to train the camera traps deployment teams, which includes local youth and more then 30 forest department staff members.
1999 notified the Great Himalayan National Park.It is home to 203 bird species including the western tragopan and Himalayan monal.
The park is one of the most important biodiversity sites in western Himalayas.
It supports the snow leopard and the Tibetan wolf, as well as the Himalayan brown bear and black bear, and the Himalayan blue sheep.
The grey shrew is a small mammal that looks like a mouse and has a long snout.
It includes the Indian pika, Indian flying squirrel, Indian royal mountain vole, porcupine, and the Himalayan palm cuvet.
The park’s highest peak is located at 1,700 metres above sea level.It rises to 5,800 metres.
The park is completely unaffected by road networks and has four valleys: Tirthan, Sainj Jiwa Nal, Jiwa Nal, and Parvati.
Its eco-zone includes 160 villages and hamlets.The boundaries are connected to Pin Valley National Park and the Rupi Bhawa Wildlife Sanctuary.
IANS was told by wildlife officials that herds hoofed wild mammal herds are moving to lower altitudes due to the harsh winter and freezing water resources.They are followed by other forms of wildlife, including predators.
Common is the migration of the Asiatic Ibex, a wild goat species, and the Himalayan Blue Sheep or ‘bharal’ in Lahaul and Spiti Valleys.
Roshan Chaudhary, Park Deputy Ranger, told IANS that 50 cameras are being installed in the park’s core area to capture poachers.
He stated that a 32-member team of frontline staff would be deployed to patrol the park, particularly in sensitive areas such as Shakti or Rolla.
“We did mapping mammal migration.
He said that involving local people helps gather intelligence and protect the animals.
The wildlife is at risk from migratory laborers who have settled in the park’s ecozone during winter.
“The slowdown in construction work causes most labourers to lose their jobs in winter.They turn to hunting for food as they are short of cash,” a senior park official who requested anonymity told IANS.
He said, “The peak winter is when our staff works overtime to keep tabs upon the poachers.”
He said that the ban on wearing a cap with a monal crest of a pheasant pheasant, which was once a tradition in the upper reaches Himachal Pradesh, has greatly reduced poaching in the park.
“The sightings of bharal (Himalayan Blue Sheep) in my field have now increased,” Tashi Dolma from the Spiti Valley told IANS by phone.
Their herd could be common due to the severe weather in the higher reaches.
She added that “even sightings o the common fox have increased” in villages.
Villagers claim that the snow leopard attacks on livestock increases in winter.
Naresh Bodh, another villager, said that “Everyday you can hear about the killing of a pet animal or a lamb by the snow leopard in our village during the winter.”
The wildlife department has conducted studies that show the density of the snow leopard ranges from 0.08 to 0.37 individuals for 100 km in the trans-Himalayan areas of Spiti and Pin Valleys, and upper Kinnaur.They also recorded the highest densities of both predator and prey, mainly blue sheep and ibex.
These areas are inhabited mainly by Buddhists who raise sheep and goats.
The area now known as the Great Himalayan National Park Conservancy Area is 1,171 sq kilometers.
Vishal Gulati can be reached via vishal.g@ians.in
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