UT of Ladakh on September 1, 2021 adopted two endangered species, snow leopard (Panther unica) and black-necked crane (Grus nicricollis), as State animal and State bird, two years after it was carved out as a separate Union Territory (UT) from the erstwhile State of J&K.
Black-necked crane
- Black-necked crane, only found in Ladakh region, was the State bird of J&K before August 5, 2019. Black-necked crane and snow leopard are two endangered species and the pride of Ladakh.
- Black-necked cranes, considered loyal couples, are only found in Ladakh’s Changthang region.
Snow leopards
- Snow leopards (Panthera uncia) are mammals with four to five feet size with a tail up to 36 inches.
- Snow leopards can be found throughout high mountain ranges, including the Himalayas and the southern Siberian mountains in Russia and they can also be found in the Tibetan Plateau.
- In India, their geographical range encompasses a large part of the western Himalayas including the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in the eastern Himalayas.
- The Minister of State for Environment Forest and Climate Change Shri Babul Supriyo said that India has identified three large landscapes, namely, Hemis-Spiti across Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh; Nanda Devi – Gangotri in Uttarakhand; and Khangchendzonga – Tawang across Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh for the conservation purpose.
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