माउंटेन कैट और साइबेरियन आइबेक्स, ब्लू शीप द्वारा आवास के उपयोग के बीच मजबूत लिंक

Study on snow leopard and its prey

Strong link between habitat use by mountain cat and Siberian ibex, blue sheep

25/07/2022 

A recent study by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) on snow leopard (Panthera uncia) has thrown up interesting insights on the elusive mountain cat and its prey species.

The study underthe National Mission on Himalayan Studies revealed a strong link between habitat use by snow leopard and its prey species Siberian ibex and blue sheep.

Scientists used camera traps and sign surveys to evaluate the co-occurrence patterns of snow leopards and its prey species in Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh. Details of the study have been published in the journal Plos One.

“We found that the snow leopard detection probability was high if the site was used by its prey species — ibex and blue sheep. Whereas, in the case of the prey species, the probability of detection was low when the predator was present and detected. Besides this, our results suggested that both species were less likely to be detected together than expected ...,” it states. Lalit Kumar Sharma, lead author of the publication, said that snow leopards use rugged mountainous areas or non-forested areas covering an altitude between 3,200 metres to 5,200 metres.

Dr. Sharma, who heads the GIS & Wildlife Section of the ZSI, said that the study suggested that habitat covariates such as barren area, grassland, aspect, slope and distance to water were important drivers of habitat use for the snow leopard as well as its prey species. He added that the Spiti Valley possessed a good habitat in and outside the protected areas which could support a viable population of both threatened snow leopard and its prey species.

Classified as ‘Vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red list and listed in Schedule-I species of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, snow leopards are elusive mountain cats.

Dhriti Banerjee, Director, ZSI, said that protecting snow leopards may result in a cascade of benefits to the ecosystem as a whole.