: The initiative taken by Darjeeling’s Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (PNHZP) in conserving high altitude herbivores that have been on the path of extinction, has served to stem the rapid decline in their numbers.
Some of the animals that have been included in the conservation programme of PNHZP, the countries highest altitude zoo located at over 7,000 ft, are the Blue Sheep, the Himalayan Tahr, the Himalayan Goral and the Markhor.
All the four herbivores have been placed in the Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which denotes that the species are ‘threatened’.
The conservation of these animals is also crucial for the Himalayan ecosystem.
“All the four herbivores are the main prey of the much endangered Snow leopard. A decrease in their numbers will naturally affect the existence of the elusive mountain cat,” Upashna Rai, the biologist in the PNHZP told The Hindu. Conserving these herbivores serves the dual purpose of protecting the snow leopard as well. The PNHZP is also involved in the global conservation and breeding programme of the snow leopard.
The Darjeeling Zoo has taken the initiative of breeding these high altitude herbivores and is also involving the other high altitude zoos in breeding and conservation of the species.
It has provided to each of the main zoos of Sikkim and Nainital one pair of the Blue Sheep and the Himalayan Goral as a part of an exchange programme.
In the PNHZP there are 11 Blue sheep (seven males, four females) eight Himalayan Tahrs ( three males, five females) 11 Himalayan Gorals (eight males, three females) and eight Markhors (three males, five females). Interestingly Markhor, an endangered species of goat, is the national animal of Pakistan.
“Our immediate goal is to distribute the species to the high altitude zoos of Sikkim, Nainital and Shimla. We are also testing the genetic purity of the animals before introducing new breeding lines,” A K Jha, the director of the PNHZP told The Hindu.
Dr Jha said that the conservation of the herbivores was aimed at having a healthy population of the animals in the zoos in case the species get extinct in the wild.
