Every corner of the Indian sub-continent is home to various species of flora and fauna. The Himalayan state of Uttarakhand is home to snow leopards, also known as the pride of high Himalayan regions. To protect the majestic animal, the state has decided to build India’s first snow leopard conservation center at the entry point of Gangotri National Park.
India’s first snow leopard conservation center in Gangotri National Park / Representative Image: Phys.org
This initiative has been put in motion under the project ‘Secure Himalaya’ of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and it will come into existence within a year.
Being a rare species, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has included snow leopard in the threatened species category.
The famous architect Prof. Anne Feenstra of the Netherlands has designed the layout for this center. It has received a construction budget of Rs 5.30 crores. A presentation was made about the project in a meeting chaired by Principal Secretary Forest Anand Vardhan at the Secretariat.
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Although the exact number is unknown, the various camera traps evidently reveal the presence of the beautiful big cat in the mountainous region. Once the winter is over, a programme of snow leopard calculation will be held under the Secure Himalaya Project.
According to Chief Wildlife Advocate Rajiv Bharathari, the Snow Leopard Conservation Center is being established in Gangotri National Park. The center will be built at the entrance of the park, near the Lanka Bridge at an altitude of about 2,800 feet at Bhairaghati.
The center will conduct training programmes about Snow Leopard. It will also have a system for researchers. Besides, the tourists will receive information about the animal through the documentary.