Priyanka
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Leh: Anytime while searching to see and appreciate the fauna of Ladakh, one of the most easily accessible animals is the Ladakh Urial. shapo) which is a Ladakhi name. This wild sheep is native to the cold desert of Ladakh. It is pegged one of the most differentiated subspecies of the wild sheep Urial which is indigenous to Central and South Asia. This shapo is usually distributed in the western part of Ladakh, especially in Sham and Nubra regions. The Shapo Inhabit breeding habitats of altitude ranging from 3000 to 4500 m. The Urial found in the Ladakh wilderness can be identified by features such as large, rounded, semi-circle horns and a smooth-haired patch lying on the chin and underbelly for the male tier, whilst the females, who are generally incapable of running as fast, have small horns coiled on their head.
One might think that it would be easily visible, but it is quite shocking to discover that it is categorized as vulnerable in the IUCN red list of threatened species. The IUCN or International Union for Conservation of Nature is an international organization that operates in the arena of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. The IUCN red list serves the purpose of fostering and promoting biodiversity and formulation of relevant policies. On the country level, the Ladakh Urial is placed in the Schedule-II category of Urial in India, which is an endangered species in the wildlife protection act of 1972.
Ladakh Urial has been protected from hunting, thanks to being placed on both lists. Nevertheless, the population still greatly suffers from several menaces and therefore, spotting them has become increasingly difficult. A young wildlife photographer from Leh, Mohammad Arhaan expresses his views as to how misguided the general public is when it comes to this endemic species and consider them as yet another species of mountain fauna.
He explains, “Mountains that the Ladakh Urial calls home are now being used for the construction of houses and concrete buildings. This way they are left with no option but to move to higher terrain which they are not used to, and which poses a risk to them. In addition to these restrictions, there are still cases of hunting the Ladakh Urial, which while considered illegal, is more prevalent because hunting it is simply easier to do when it is resting on lower terrain.”
He further stated that the local population allies needs to understand that they can only find the Ladakh Urial in Ladakh, which is unique in its own right. This was also relayed by Mohd Imran who specializes in wildlife filming for the past 10 years and is an indigenous wildlife filmmaker and founder of Shan Productions.
He says, “I have observed the Ladakh Urial in herds of 30 to 40, but this species is currently under serious threat from feral dogs, which hunt the defenseless young. These puppies, being used to plateaus, can’t evade dogs in rocky terrains. Moreover, because these animals tend to live near water bodies, they are also easily poached.”
While these quotes come from people who have been working in this area, more research is necessary to understand why these professionals have such pessimistic notions. Gulzar Hussain, a naturalist from Ladakh, states that too much is still unknown about the Ladakh Urial and too little research has been done.
He elaborated, “This animal is easily exposed to predation by the leopard because it resides at lower altitudes. Additionally, there could be a possibility of an epidemic because the Ladakh Urial constantly interacts with the herds, and one can never be sure about when an outbreak may happen.”
The head of the Wildlife Conservation and Birds Club of Ladakh Visuddha stated that the region’s only native mammal facing extinction is entirely due to anthropogenic activities. He adds, “The Ladakh Urial used to be faced like any other deer, they were hunted for meat, later for their horns, then when they began to be protected, humans let loose their pet dogs and that, combined with modern development, pushed them into deeper spaces.” “In my view, though, the present situation of the population of Ladakh Urial in Ladakh is quite satisfactory,” he concluded.
However, Smanla Tsering, who has been working with the Wildlife Department as a Wildlife Guard pointed out that it is critical to sensitize the local inhabitants. He told the villagers that the department tries to educate them about the significance of the food web and how they assist in conserving the Ladakh Urial.
He claims, “Upon educating villagers, they appreciate the importance of immediately informing the department whenever they come across a Ladakh Urial that is injured or being chased by feral dogs.” He further elaborated on the dangers faced by the Ladakh Urial, “The increased human settlements, especially around water sources, leads to exposed highways and offers no corridors for them to safely travel between which greatly increases the risk of them being run over and additionally, the lack of powerful snowfall is stunting the growth of mountain vegetation which is their primary food.”
To save this endangered species, both Gulzar Hussain and Mohd Imran added that it requires a concerted effort. According to Gulzar Hussain, “Ladakh is a huge region and monitoring everything is very hard for the officials. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the villagers to take control and put measures in place that protect the Ladakh Urial and its habitat. This will ensure that there is less destruction of the animal's habitat. Such steps will make more difference.”
