Posted on 14 February
2012 - WASHINGTON, DC, February 14, 2011
–The first ever snow leopard prey survey
in Bhutan’s newest national park revealed
astonishing footage of snow leopards scent-marking,
a sub-adult snow leopard, Tibetan wolf,
threatened Himalayan serow, musk deer and
a healthy population of blue sheep, the
main food source for snow leopards.
This is the first pictorial evidence that
snow leopards are thriving in Wangchuck
Centennial Park, a vital snow leopard corridor
between Jigme Dorji National Park in the
West and Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary in
the East. Field biologists from the Government
of Bhutan and World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
captured over 10,000 images during the camera
trap survey in Wangchuck Centennial Park.
The automatic cameras
were set up to locate snow leopard “hot-spots”,
but in addition to snow leopard images,
they also captured images and footage of
Tibetan wolf, wild dog, red fox, blue sheep,
Himalayan serow, musk deer, Pika, pheasants
and several birds of prey.
“The findings are phenomenal
as these are the first snow leopard images
recorded in Wangchuck Centennial Park,”
said WWF’s Dr. Rinjan Shrestha, who led
the survey team. “It suggests that the network
of protected areas and corridors is helping
to link local snow leopard populations,
which will be invaluable to ensure long-term
persistence of snow leopards in the region.”
Snow leopards are elusive
and endangered, with around 4,500-7,500
in the wild. Bhutan is the only country
on Earth where the habitat of snow leopards
and tigers intersect. It’s unknown how many
exist there, but it’s critical to find out
as threats are mounting – from retaliatory
killing from herders, loss of habitat to
farmers and poaching for their pelts. And
then there’s climate change.
Warming at high elevations in the Himalayas
is causing treelines to ascend and isolating
snow leopard populations. Under a high emission
scenario, as much as 30 percent of their
range could be lost. Their ability to move
upslope is limited by oxygen availability.
The overall goal of the survey is to determine
how many snow leopards there are in Wangchuck
and where they exist, in order to prioritize
the best areas for conservation.
“The snow leopard images
from the park show the incredible richness
of wildlife thriving in Wangchuck Centennial
Park and prove why the park must be supported
by donor agencies for conservation,” said
Dr. Pema Gyamtsho, Minister of Agriculture
and Forests, Royal Government of Bhutan.
“For snow leopard conservation in Bhutan,
Wangchuck Centennial Park acts as the critical
linkage between Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary
and Jigme Dorji National Park, thereby ensuring
the functionality of the northern Bhutan
conservation complex.”
The Government of Bhutan and WWF have partnered
to co-manage Wangchuck Centennial Park since
it was designated as Bhutan’s tenth national
park in 2008. With 244 vascular plant species,
23 mammal species and 134 bird species,
the park is rich in biodiversity. It’s dedication
resulted in Bhutan having more than half
its land under protection. The Government
of Bhutan and WWF work together on species
conservation, climate change studies, monitoring,
patrolling and community conservation projects.
“WWF has a special commitment to Wangchuck
Centennial Park, especially because we were
invited to co-manage it with the government
in 2005,” said Shubash Lohani of WWF’s Eastern
Himalayas program. “It was the first time
Bhutan entrusted an entity other than government
to manage a protected area.”
