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Envis Bulletin Wildlife and Protected Areas Vol. 1, no. 1, December 2002 Mountain Ungulates Editors S.Sathyakumar & Y.V.Bhatnagar Maps Panna Lal & G.M.Veerappan Cover Photo Credits a b c d a. S.Sathyakumar b. Y.V.Bhatnagar c. G.S. Rawat d. A.J.T.Johnsingh Citation (e.g.) : Green, M.J.B. (2002). Musk Deer : A Story of Himalayan Survival. (IN) Sathyakumar, S. and Bhatnagar, Y.V. (Eds.) ENVIS Bulletin: Wildlife and Protected Areas. Vol. 1 No. 1, 99-105 The contents of the bulletin may be freely used for non-commercial purposes, with acknowledgement. DDDDDiiiiirrrrreeeeeccccctttttooooorrrrr’’’’’sssss NNNNNooooottttteeeee The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has In order to increase global awareness been contributing substantially in the of the importance of mountains, the field of ‘high altitude ecology’ and in the United Nations had declared the year conservation of mountain flora and 2002 as the ‘International Year of the fauna through research and training Mountains’ (IYM) and to commemorate activities since 1986. WII’s faculty and the IYM – 2002, we decided to bring out researchers have carried out several this issue which covers different aspects surveys for endangered species, of the ecology and conservation of 15 ecological studies on endangered mountain ungulate species that occur in species/faunal groups and their the Himalayan and Trans-Himalayan habitats, and has conducted training regions of India. The different aspects programmes related to research, include the species accounts, monitoring and management of these protected areas coverage, mountain species and habitats in the Himalaya. ungulate conservation, conservation During the last 16 years, significant issues, veterans’ section and a efforts have been made for the bibliography. The Himalayan range conservation of mountain ungulates of states have contributed information on the Himalaya by researchers and the status of the mountain ungulates. I managers from different institutions and hope this issue will be appreciated by organisations in collecting ecological all users and we welcome your information for planning better feedback on the same. conservation strategies. Some of the recent initiatives by WII in the field of Our next issue of ENVIS will be on mountain ungulate research and “Conservation of Tropical Rain Forests conservation include the ‘Collaborative of India”. Ladakh Field Research Programme’ jointly carried out by WII, United States Fish & Wildlife Service, International Snow Leopard Trust; Snow Leopard S.Singsit Conservancy and the ‘Institutional Co- Director, WII & Team Leader operation Programme between WII and ENVIS Centre, Wildlife Institute of India University of Tromsø, Norway, on Pastoralism and Wildlife Conservation in the Himalaya’. i Foreword The Indian Subcontinent has the greatest Conservation of these mountain ungulates is mountain systems of the world - the Himalaya, crucial as they form the prey base of the which is well recognized for its rich and elusive snow leopard and other large diverse biodiversity, and for its significance carnivores, and some of them are of in providing the life support systems for international importance. Undoubtedly, several million people in the northern region. protection to these mountain ungulates and The Himalaya has many magnificent their habitats is of prime concern and also mountain ungulates that are widely known for the need for efficient wildlife management their diversity and splendour. The beautiful based on scientific information. During the Hangul, the majestic Argali, the agile Ibex, last two decades, attempts have been made the sure-footed Tahr, the bounding Musk to conserve and manage mountain ungulates Deer, the mighty Yak, the elegant Kiang, and in the Indian subcontinent. Creation and the elusive Serow are just some of the management of Protected Areas was one mountain ungulates that occur in the significant step. Some scientific studies and Himalaya. Mountain ungulates have always several status surveys and short studies have been admired by explorers, adventurers, been carried out on mountain ungulates in naturalists, hunters and the common man for the Indian subcontinent that have added their beauty, sure-footedness, and their ability substantial knowledge to our understanding to survive in steep and rugged terrain under of the species ecology and conservation harsh climatic conditions. issues. Mountain ungulates have remained least Proper dissemination of information is as studied as their habitats are in the remote high important as the collection itself. This ENVIS altitudes of the Himalaya where conditions issue on Mountain Ungulates of the Indian are inhospitable. Despite these limitations, Subcontinent brought out by the Wildlife some of the best natural history observations Institute of India is a good combination of have been made on mountain ungulates by updated information on mountain ungulate the early explorers, hunters and naturalists. species, their status and distribution in Hunting was probably the only activity that different states of India, conservation and could have had some effect on mountain management issues, natural history by ungulate populations in the Indian veterans, and bibliography. This publication subcontinent in the pre-independence period. will be of great value to biologists, wildlife The rapid human and livestock population managers and others. growth in the Himalaya in the last five decades have led to habitat loss, habitat degradation, poaching, trade, wildlife-human conflicts and J.C.Daniel consequently have seriously threatened Honorary Secretary, several mountain ungulate species and their Bombay Natural History Society habitats in the Indian subcontinent. ii TTTTThhhhheeeee MMMMMooooouuuuunnnnntttttaaaaaiiiiinnnnn UUUUUnnnnnggggguuuuulllllaaaaattttteeeeesssss ooooofffff ttttthhhhheeeee GGGGGrrrrreeeeeaaaaattttteeeeerrrrr aaaaannnnnddddd TTTTTrrrrraaaaannnnnsssss ----- HHHHHiiiiimmmmmaaaaalllllaaaaayyyyyaaaaa::::: AAAAAnnnnn IIIIInnnnntttttrrrrroooooddddduuuuuccccctttttiiiiiooooonnnnn ----- EEEEEdddddiiiiitttttooooorrrrrsssss Mountains are widely acknowledged as the ‘water the most formidable mountain complexes of the towers’ of the world in addition to being rich world. Further north, the Altai and Tien Shan repositories of, often, unique biodiversity. ranges lead into the heart of Cenral Asia. There Recognizing these values of the mountains, the are a range of low mountains further that emerge UN had declared the year 2002 as the from the western fringes in Pakistan, and align in ‘International Year of the Mountains’ to generate a NE-SW orientation towards the deserts of awareness about the conservation and Baluchistan as the Salt and the Kirthar ranges. sustainable development of the mountains. In the east, the mountains take a sharp southward turn from Namche Barwa into the The Himalaya are the most prominent mountains mountains of Myanmar and Bangladesh, moving in India and the region covers ca. 12% of the further into south east Asia. The Himalaya, are country’s 3.3 million km2 geographical area. The thus a part of the largest mountain complex of present issue is dedicated to a fascinating, yet the world and bridges its major realms, the oriental little known part of its fauna – the mountain in the east and south, the Palarctic along the north ungulates inhabiting the cold, rugged mountains and the Ethiopian along the west. of the higher Himalaya – the ridaks or the Mountain Monarchs, as some mountain people call them. The vast spread of the Himalaya has a width varying from 200km in parts to over 500km in In this chapter, we give a brief overview of the others. This expanse has a great variation in Himalayan region, its wildlife values and the topography as well as biodiversity along the south reasons for choosing the present theme for the to north, and the east to west axis. Humidity in Bulletin. general declines from east to west and from south to north, along the Himalaya. The Himalaya and Associated Mountains The foothills, or the Siwalik mountains are uplifted The Himalaya are the youngest of world’s glacial debris, at places extending to ca. 1,000m mountain chains and have among the highest above mean sea level. Higher on are the ‘Middle peaks in the world. These mountains form the Himalaya’ extending up to ca. 3,000m as watershed for most of the rivers flowing in undulating hills, at places cut steeply by flowing northern India, which sustain millions of humans torrents and rivers. Beyond the Middle Himalaya, who inhabit the Indo-Gangetic plains. The high is the towering Greater Himalayan range ranges of the Himalaya stop the northward flow consisting primarily of igneous formations with of the monsoon clouds and thus responsible for patches of sedimentary rocks. Bulk of this area the climate and prosperity of the people living in is covered with huge glaciers and peaks, with the northern region of the Indian subcontinent. relatively arid, cold valleys in their fold. Across this great barrier, is the vast arid expanse of the The Himalaya trace an arc of over 2,500km, from Tibetan Marginal Mountains and the Tibetan the Nanga Parbat in the west, to the Namche Plateau, often referred to as the Trans-Himalaya. Barwa in the east in a roughly NW-SE orientation. The Trans Himalaya are categorized as the Zone In Jammu & Kashmir, the mountains and valleys 1 (with two provinces) as per the of the Pamirs and the Hindu Kush spread further biogeographically classification by Rodgers & west, the Karakorum, east and the Kunlun Panwar (1988) and roughly covers 5.6% of the mountains towards the NE, this forming one of country’s geographical area. The rest of the iii Himalaya are categorized as the Zone 2 (with four non-human primates) or on the PA network in provinces) and covers roughly 6.4% of the the country. The issues on taxa usually provide country. exhaustive articles from experts with either a species or a regional focus. As alluded to earlier, More interesting facts about the Himalaya such in this volume we have confined ourselves to the as the orogeny of the Himalaya, ecological Himalayan region among all the mountain chains zonation, and flora and fauna can be found in in the country due to its unique value as the Schaller (1977) and Polunin & Stainton (1992), highest, significant ecological entity, grand and apart from numerous other publications. fragile, yet harbouring some of the most pristine habitats for wildlife left in the country. Within the The Mountain Ungulates of the Himalaya and Himalaya, we have chosen accounts on those Trans-Himalaya ungulate species that are either unique to the Himalaya or are confined to the mountain ranges The ungulate fauna of the Himalaya include alone. species such as the chital, sambar, wild pig, Asian elephant, species that are found in other parts of Layout of the Issue the country too. There are however various cervids, moschids, bovids and equuids unique to The issue is divided into five Sections in order to the Himalaya or limited to the high mountain cover various facets of mountain ungulates and chains of Central Asia. Most of these species their conservation. Section One gives species evolved to inhabit the niches produced by accounts of the fifteen species/subspecies spectacular mountain building during the present in the country. The two chapters in this Cretaceous and Tertiary that created new, usually section give brief accounts of the species in the cold and bleak landscapes, and are well adapted Himalayan and the Trans-Himalayan regions in a to these harsh environments. This little known ‘field guide’ format. This, we believe, should be fauna comprising of 15 species/subspecies have useful for the lay user as well as the serious been selected for the present ENVIS Bulletin reader to easily acquaint with the species, its (Table 1). The taxonomy of this group of animals distribution, status, habitat, behavioural traits, is greatly debated and we have mostly limited morphology and key biological facts. We have our listing to classification by Schaller (1977), tried to give clear photographs of all species, but Schaller (1998) or Shackleton (1997). We have where not available, we have given sketches. not included the Wild Goat (Capra aegagrus) and the Shou or Sikkim stag (Cervus elaphus wallichi), There is a wealth of information available with since its occurrence in the country are not the State Forest/Wildlife Departments on animal confirmed. distribution and status, their vision for wildlife conservation, and management actions being It is noteworthy that this assemblage of species/ taken. Often, these efforts are little known and subspecies constitutes ca. 50% of India’s appreciated. The Section Two on ‘ Protected Area ungulate fauna. Many of these species are wild Network and State Reports on Status and relatives of sheep, goat, horse/donkey and yak, Management of Mountain Ungulates’ is meant to thus adding value to this assemblage as an bridge this gap to some extent. The Himalaya are important genetic pool. spread over six Indian states. We were able to receive articles from five of them which are The ungulates of the high mountains are prey to presented in this section. charismatic predators such as the snow leopard, Tibetan wolf and common leopard. An The fragile Himalayan region is faced with understanding of their ecology can thus help in numerous conservation issues. Some of them better management of the entire region. such as livestock grazing in Protected Areas and human-wildlife conflicts are common with the rest Most of WII’s ENVIS Bulletins so far have been of the country, but there are unique socio- taxa based (elephants, small cats, crocodilians, economic peculiarities that make dealing with iv them more challenging. These issues and conditions to conduct over 30 critical studies and possible solutions for them are detailed for the 20 surveys documenting the varied facets of the Himalayan and the Trans-Himalayan regions in region’s biodiversity and conservation issues. Section Three of this Bulletin. Through this Bulletin we wish to add an important and useful compilation on the conservation of the The Himalaya have fascinated naturalists since magnificent mountains crowning the country. time immemorial. A few decades ago however some scientists and naturalists have painstakingly References documented the region’s wildlife, often under very harsh conditions and with few facilities. We have Polunin, O. and Stainton, A. 1997. Flowers of the tried to bring this perspective on what was their Himalaya. Oxford University Press, Delhi. driving force, their trials and tribulations in initiating these studies, in Section Four – ‘Semi-Scientific Accounts by Veterans on Research and Rodgers, W.A. and Panwar, H.S. 1988. Planning Conservation Experiences on Mountain a Protected Area Network in India. Vol. 1. A report. Ungulates’. Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. 341pp. Although there have been few quantitative studies Schaller, G.B. 1977. Mountain Monarchs: Wild and assessments on the mountain ungulates in Sheep and Goats of the Himalaya. Chicago, the Himalaya, there is a wealth of information as Chicago University Press. 425pp. anecdotal accounts that reveal a lot about the species. We have developed and included an exhaustive bibliography on the useful references Schaller, G.B. 1998 Wildlife of the Tibetan Steppe. for mountain ungulates and about conservation University of Chicago Press, Chicago. of the region in general as the last section of this volume. Shackleton, D.M. (ed.) and the IUCN/SSC Caprinae Specialist Group. 1997. Wild Sheep & The Wildlife Institute of India has pioneered Goats & their Relatives. Status Survey and research on wildlife in the Himalayan region since its inception, the very first research project being Conservation Action Plan for Caprinae. IUCN, an extensive survey on the snow leopard and its Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. 390pp prey species in the Western Himalaya. Through the twenty years of its existence, WII researchers and scientists have worked hard under daunting v Table 1: Mountain ungulate species covered in this volume along with information on theprimary region where they occur. S. No Species Scientific name Primary region Order - Artiodactyla Family – Bovidae Subfamily – Caprinae Tribe - Rupicaprini 1 Grey Goral Nemorhaedus goral goral H (also Red Goral) (Nemorhaedus baileyi) 2 Mainland Serow Nemorhaedus sumatraensis H Tribe - Ovibovini 3 Mishmi Takin Budorcas taxicolor taxicolor H Tribe - Caprini 4 Himalayan tahr Hemitragus jemlahicus H 5 Himalayan Ibex Capra sibirica TH 6 Flare horned (Kashmir) Capra falconeri falconeri TH/H Markhor 7 Blue sheep or Bharal Pseudois nayaur TH/H 8 Ladakh Urial Ovis vignei vignei TH 9 Tibetan Argali Ovis ammon hodgsoni TH Tribe - Saigini 10 Chiru/Tibetan antelope Pantholops hodgsoni TH Tribe - Bovini 11 Wild Yak Bos grunniens TH Subfamily - Antilopinae Tribe - Antilopini 12 Tibetan Gazelle Procapra picticaudata TH Family - Mochidae 13 Himalayan Musk Deer Moschus chrysogaster H Family - Cervidae 14 Hangul or Kashmir Stag Cervus elephas hanglu H (also Shou or Sikkim Stag) (C. e. wallichi) Order - Perissodactyla Family - Equuidae 15 Tibetan wild ass Equus kiang TH Himalaya (H) or Trans Himalaya (TH)) vi