DEHRADUN: The encouraging increase in the population of snow leopards in Gangotri National Park in Uttarakhand has created a wave of happiness among park officials. Apart from Uttarakhand, this species of leopard is found only in the forest areas of Sikkim and Ladakh.
Spread over 2390 sq. kilometres, Gangotri National Park is estimated to have between 35 and 40 snow leopards. The figure was jointly arrived at by park authorities and experts from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). The previous estimate in 2019-20 only indicated a figure in single digits, said Gangotri National Park Deputy Director Rang Nath Pandey.
Pandey told The New Indian Express, "We only 'estimate' the number of snow leopards once in four years. Earlier we did not even have baseline data. We have prepared this data with the help of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). WII has estimated the number of snow leopards to be between 35 and 40, which was assessed with the help of trap cameras."
Pandey also said, "The frequent sightings of leopards, and the capture of their photographs on their mobiles by tourists in the park, is an indication of an increase in their population. Estimating snow leopards is also a complex process, calculated once in four years between inaccessible areas and difficult terrains, which was done in 2019-20, now it will be done in 2024-25."
In winter, the park administration installs trap cameras here for the purpose of monitoring and researching wildlife. Footage from these cameras is used to study the behaviour and breeding habits of wildlife.
Deputy Director Pandey noted that three other species of bear -- the Himalayan Black Bear, Brown Bear and Sloth Bear -- are also found in Uttarakhand.
Last year too, the park administration had installed a total of 40 trap cameras in Kedartal, Gomukh Track, Karchha, Chorgarh, Tirpani and Nilpani in Nelang Valley and Bhaironghati, Gartang Gali in the park area. Recently, a team of park administration pulled out trap cameras installed in Chorgarh in Nelang Valley, out of which one trap camera shows a snow leopard roaming while the other has captured the picture.
A team from the Wildlife Institute of India has also installed 65 cameras in the Nelang Valley to monitor and research wildlife activities.