Snow leopard is new state animal of Ladakh

Officials say snow leopards are rare and a symbol of Ladakh

The Ladakh administration has declared snow leopard its state animal and black-necked crane state bird.

Meanwhile, the erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state had black-necked crane and Kashmir stag as its state bird and animal, respectively. Officials point out that both species are rare and had been symbols of the state for a long time. Following its bifurcation into UTs, the black-necked crane could no longer be the state bird for the J&K, and the Hangul could no longer be the state animal of Ladakh, they said.

Experts put the population of snow leopards to be between 200-300 individuals in Ladakh alone and speak about the fragile relation of their healthy population to overall natural health of the mountains. Meanwhile, the black-necked crane found only in Eastern Ladakh's high-altitude wetlands and marshes and is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN red list.

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