Darshan Kunwar
DEHRADUN, August 02 2020 (HS): In a significant move to conserve the rare Snow Leopard species, Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Sunday announced first of its kind Snow Leopard Conservation Centre at Srilanka, close to Bhairav valley in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district.
This will be India's first Snow Leopards' Conservation Centre.
The decision to this effect was taken at a high level meeting of Uttarakhand forest department chaired by the chief minister on Sunday. The meeting was attended by State Forest Minister Harak Singh Rawat too.
Officials said that with the number of poaching cases rising, snow leopards found in snow-covered high altitude areas in Garhwal and Kumaon regions, are gradually becoming extinct.
Dehradun based Wildlife Institute of India had launched a scheme in the name of Secure Himalaya in 2017 to chalk out modalities to prevent Snow Leopard' poaching and help conserve the animal, but the scheme could not be enforced on the ground due to certain reasons.
According to WII officials, currently there are as many 586 Snow Leopards in India. Experts felt the necessity to build the Conservation Centre for the animals in a bid to protect them.
"Since there was no conservation Centre for the endangered species, the animal just led a homeless life and so is easily poached by professional hunters.
"We hope once the Centre comes into being, it will deter the poachers and hunters ", said a senior IFS officer at WII.
Officials clarified that the Centre for Snow Leopards Conservation will be set up with cooperation from Netherland. As these Snow Leopards are rarely seen in the Himalyan region, they are also known as the "Ghost of Mountains".
Uttarakhand Forest department officials said that some of these Snow Leopards were seen through photographs in the Camera traps in Uttarakhand's Nanda Devi Biosphere regions.
Snow Leopards are found at the height of 3000 to 4500 meters in Chamoli's Nanda Devi Biodiversity region and Gangotri National Park Ascot Wildlife Sanctuary. Most of Snow Leopards were seen in Uttarkashi and Pithoragarh Himalyan regions two years ago.
According to officials, there are only 86 Snow Leopards left in Uttarakhand Himalyan region.
Officials feel that the move to set up Conservation Centre for Leopards will boost winter tourism as a sizable number of huge number of domestic and foreign tourists throng Garhwal and Kumaon Himalyan regions during winters.