Arunachal: Forest authorities wait for very first snow leopard survey

Itanagar: Forest officials of Arunachal Pradesh are eagerly awaiting the report of the first snow leopard count in the state which is scheduled to be released in October this year.

Snow leopards are being estimated for the first time in the northeastern state with the technical assistance of the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), a senior official said.Deputy Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Milo Tassar said, “Starting in June last year, the presence of the elusive species was assessed in 11 forest divisions located in high altitude and snow-covered areas.”

WWF-India is analyzing the data from the survey, which has already been completed and the report is likely to be published on the occasion of International Snow Leopard Day on October 23 this year.
“We are all looking forward to the report,” he said.

“More than 200 people, including state forest department officers and field staff besides experts from WWF-India, were engaged in the assessment exercise which took five months,” said the senior forest officer.
A golden-eyed animal with thick fur, broad paws and a long tail lives in the mountainous regions of Central and South Asia.

In India, the geographic range of the wild cat species covers a large part of the western Himalayas, including Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh in the eastern Himalayas.
The last three states form part of the Eastern Himalayas, a priority global region of WWF and the Living Himalayas Network Initiative.

Snow leopards prefer steep, rugged terrain with rocky outcrops and ravines. This type of habitat provides good cover and a clear view to help them hide their prey.

“We are confident about the presence of a good number of big cat breeds in the state,” said Tasar.