Shimla: Himachal Pradesh which is enriched by nature's lap and blessed by diverse range of flora & fauna is home to around 75 snow leopard where this threatened wildlife animal of ICUN list was counted two years ago under project snowleopard in the state.
Chichum village witnessing an ideal habitat for pair of Fantastic and Alisa who visited same habitat around a year ago with two new born cubs.
Public Relation Officer Kaza posted in Spiti valley for last four years captured the rare animal twice live on his LSR camera using telescopic lens.
He told UNI that an information was received by him from local villagers of Chichum that three snowleopard are found roaming in the same spot. He rushed to spot with another guy to trace the leopard. Banyal succeeded again to catch rarest movement of highly elusive wildlife animal using telescopic lens on the stand and gain access to the Snowleopard infront of steep hills.
The Video shared by Banyal depicts Alisa and her one years cub curling around eachother back to back in rarest photo-snap. The two cubs also move away from the mothers in freezing temperature and latter all the three have left for hunting expedition making their way over the stepping of rocks through same hillocks.
Notably, Banyal also shot another counterpart probably Funtastic on the same spot on December 19, 2022 as Additional Deputy Commissioners Kaza successfully watch a Snow Leopard in Chichum village under Spiti Subdivision of Lahaul-Spiti district on Wednesday.
On the information of local villagers ADC Abhishek Verma visited Chichum village and saw the natural habitat of a fully grown Snow Leopard in a cave.Importantly, Wildlife wing in collaboration with Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) Bangalore along with SPAI (Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India) of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change conducted counting of snow leopard under project snow leopard through trap camera and its pug marks and it counted 73 Leopard till September 2022.
Snow leopards were detected at all the 10 sites (Bhaga, Chandra, Bharmour, Kullu, Miyar, Pin, Baspa, Tabo, Hangrang & Spiti) suggesting that snow leopards are found in the entire snow leopard habitat in Himachal Pradesh.
During the SPL some of the areas of Kullu and Lahaul Spiti where footprints were also found of this elusive wild animals was also extended.
In the state PSL (above 3000 m) include Lahaul, Spiti, Pangi, Kinnaur, Upper Chamba (especially Bharmour), Upper Kangra (Bara Bhangal), Upper Kullu (Mantalai, Pin Parvati, upper Great Himalayan NP, upper Manali), and Upper Simla (Rupi Bhabha, Dodra Kwar). (UNI)
(Photo courtesy: Screengrab of video shared by Ajay Banyal)
