Leh: Ladakh’s government has declared the snow leopard and black-necked crane as its state animals and birds. This announcement was made by Pawan Kotwal, Principal Secretary for Forest, Ecology and Environment.
‘The Lieutenant Governor of Union Territory of Ladakh is pleased to declare snow leopard (Panther unica) and black necked crane (Grus nicricollis) as state animal and state bird, respectively, of the union rerritory of Ladakh from the date of issue of this notification,’ Kotwal said in a notification.
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In the meantime, the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir had the black-necked crane and Kashmir stag (Hangul) as its state bird and animal respectively. Both species are rare and have been symbols of the state for a long time, say officials. Hangul is found in Kashmir, while the black-necked crane is found in eastern Ladakh. Following the bifurcation into separate administrative divisions, the black-necked crane could no longer be the state bird for Jammu and Kashmir, and the Hangul could no longer be the state animal for Ladakh, they said.
According to experts, there are between 200 and 300 snow leopards in Ladakh alone. They point out the fragile relationship of their healthy population with the health of the mountains. In the meantime, the black-necked crane is only found in eastern Ladakh’s high-altitude marshes and wetlands, and is listed as Near Threatened on the Red List of the IUCN( International Union for Conservation of Nature). The birds arrive as early as March to breed and leave at the end of October or in early November. The loss of their habitat could result in the extinction of this species, at least in this region.
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