Wildlife Travel Ladakh - Leh Ladakh Travel, Wildlife Tourism, Kashmir India

Ladakh-Described as "The land where snow never melts and only corn ripens" by its discoverer, Fa-hian, a chinese traveler, who traveled across its inhospitable terrain in 399 A.D. Known for centuries as the 'land of passes' (La-pass; Dacha-land), Ladakh is a mysterious land shrouded in myth and legend and much of its ancient history is known only through the mythology of its people.

Flora of Ladakh Wildlife -

The main plants in the temperate and subalpine zones are willow and poplar trees which grow wherever there is water, which is usually along man-made irrigation channels. Walnut and apricot trees are found at lower altitude. Conifers can also occasionally be found. In the alpine zone you may find bushes of wild roses and sea buckthorn and sometimes junipers which are usually clinging to steep cliffs, out of reach of the woodcutter's knife. Alpine meadows with wild flowers are rare in this arid landscape and this zone is characterised by scrub and low shrubs. However, even when crossing high passes the trekker will notice plants that have adapted to the harsh environment by growing hairy leaves which capture any moisture in the air. Where there aren't any other signs of life you can still find the occasional lichen clinging to the rocks.

Mammals in Ladakh Wildlife -

Ladakh is home to several rare and endangered species of mammal as well as having some of the richest diversity of sheep and goats. Trekkers outside the busiest tourist season or on less frequented trails are likely to see at least one or two different species. The most commonly encountered is the marmot. This member of the squirrel family lives in deep burrows on mountain sides and will allow you to get quite close before giving a whistle of alarm and disappearing underground. Occasionally you'll come across martens, weasels, hares and pikas (a relative of the hare, but with round ears and no tail) and see foxes (Vulpes vulpes) along the trails in summer.

Siberian ibex (Capra ibex sibirica) live in the west of Ladakh and are the second most common hoofed mammal here but this wild goat's preference for steep and high ground means that they are rarely spotted by trekkers.

Tibetan wild ass (Equus hemionus /dang), or kiang, are not as common a sighting as they once were, but trekkers in the Rupshu and Chang Tang areas are still likely to see groups of this beautiful horse-like ass. Other animals of the grasslands and steppes of the Chang Tang are the Tibetan gazelle and the rare Tibetan antelope.

Birds in Ladakh -

A large variety of both resident and migratory birds are found in Ladakh and some 240 different species have been recorded. Most visitors will see magpies, sparrows and crows which are all common around villages. Other common birds include various species of lark, twite, fmches and snow pigeon.

Animal Yak in Ladakh Wildlife -

The largest animal of the cold desert is the yak (dong), a wild ox. First described only a century ago by the famous Russian naturalist-- explorer, N. M. Przewalski, the wild yak is definitely more imposing than its placid domestic counterpart. Immensely shaggy and weighing about a tone it has curved horns whose tips can be as wide apart as 90 cm. and measure 76 cm. over the curves.

Predators (Snow leopard, Brown bear, Wolf, Lynx)

High in the mountains, this solitary animal hunts goats, ibex, blue sheep and shapu by following them up and down the slopes in their seasonal migration. During the winter, snow leopards stalk the lower mountains, often feeding on domestic stock. Observations seem to indicate that this animal hunts in the early morning and late afternoons. Despite the heavy toll taken by poachers, the population of the snow leopard in Ladakh is estimated to be roughly 200.

The snow leopard inhabits the high mountains of Central Asia, and within India, is found along the northern border, in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. The Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir includes a large area of potential habitat and reports indicate that a relatively undistributed snow leopard population may exist in a few sites. Since the Ladakh area is known to support snow leopard populations.

Urial

Urial or shapu (Ovis orientalis) is the smallest sheep in the world. Its body, which is just about as tall as its horns usually weighs 85 Kg. and has horns measuring upto 99 cm. These sheep prefer the grassy mountain slopes. The breeding of this species, as is the case with most sheep, takes place during December-January and they give birth to their young ones around May. The need for protection of the urial is great as they are within easy reach of hunters. Their numbers have been declining rapidly and it is estimated that there are no more than 500 in Ladakh.

Nyan

Largest and most magnificent of wild sheep in the whole world, it is also called the Great Tibetan sheep (Ovis ammon). Roughly 200 of these sheep are found in the extreme eastern portion of Ladakh. The horns of the nyan measure up to 145 cm. and the animal normally remains at a great height, rarely descending to a level below 4,500 meters.

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