24 Sep

Vulnerable Mammals of India

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Content

• Great Indian One Horned Rhino
• Indian Leopard (Panthera pardus fusca)
• Snow Leopard
• Clouded Leopard (Neofelis Nebulosa)
• Black Panthers
• Fishing Cat
• Himalayan Serow (Capricornis sumatraensis thar)
• Gaur/ Indian Bison (Baus gaurus)
• Four Horned Antelopes (Tetracerus quadricornis)
• Nilgiri Marten
• Nilgiri Langur / Nilgiri Leaf Monkey (Trachypithecus Johnii)
• Barasingha or Swamp Deer
• Oriental Small Clawed Otter and Smooth Coated Otter
• Asian Black Bear/ Moon Bear or White Chested Bear
• Indian Sloth Bear (Melursus Ursinus) – Subspecies of Sloth Bear
• Himalayan Yak

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1) GREAT INDIAN ONE HORNED RHINO

Details: Fifth largest land animal.

Threats:

• Poaching -rhino horn great demand in China and other Asian countries for traditional medicines.
• Habitat loss
• Fragmentation of Habitat

Habitat and Distribution

• Past: Once ranged throughout the entire stretch of Indo-Gangetic Plain.
  • Population went down to a mere 200 in the early 1990s, and was declared to be endangered.
• Present: Found only in the tall grasslands and forests in the foothills of the Himalayas. Today more than 3,000 Rhino live in wild, most of them confined in Assam (2500+). They range from few pockets in Southern Nepal, northern Bengal, and Brahmaputra Valley.
  • Today, they are mostly found in 7 protected areas:
    • In Assam: Kaziranga National Park, Pobitara WLS, Orang NP, Manas NP
    • In WB: Jaldapara NP and Gorumara NP
    • In UP: Dudhwa NP
  • Protected Areas for Rhino (all three in Assam)
    • • Kaziranga National Park
      • Pabitro Wildlife Sanctuary
      • Manas National Park

A) Indian Rhino Vision 2020 comes to an end

• It was a partnership among the government of Assam, the International Rhino foundation, WWF, the Bodoland Territorial Council, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service that aims to increase the number of Rhino population and provide long term viability in seven of Assam’s protected areas by 2020.
• Need of such mission
  • Rhino population had been confined to 2-3 protected areas of Assam.
• The main feature of the vision was the translocation of rhinos from Kaziranga, Orang and Pobitora to other protected areas.
  • Other activities involved anti-poaching, monitoring, community conservation efforts etc.
• The ambitious program came to a close in April 2021 with the release of two Rhinos in Assam’s Manas National Park transported from Pobitora WLS about 185 km to the east.
  • There were total eight rounds of rhino translocation under IRV2020.
  • Manas NP has received a total of 22 Rhinos from other protected areas.
• Has the target been achieved:
  • It is believed to have achieved its target of attaining a population of 3,000 Rhinos in Assam. (2018 Census had 2650 Rhinos)
  • But, the plan to spread the Rhinoceros unicornis across 7 Protected Areas of Assam didn’t materialize completely.

2) INDIAN LEOPARD (PANTHERA PARDUS FUSCA)

• Details about Leopard
  • They are found in widely distributed and adaptable habitats. It is absent only in arid deserts and above timber line in the Himalayas and are found throughout the country. In Himalayas, they are sympatric with snow leopard (Panthera urcia).
  • Among all sub-species, the Indian leopard retains the largest population size and range outside Africa.
  • In areas devoid of any other large carnivore, the leopards can act as an umbrella species for biodiversity conservation.
• Protection Status
  • IUCN: VU
  • WPA: Schedule – 1
  • CITES: Appendix-1
• Status of Leopard in India, 2018 (published in 2020)
  • During the All-India tiger estimation of 2018, leopard population was also estimated within the forested habitats in tiger occupied states.
    • Note: Non-forested areas like coffee and tea plantation, higher reaches of Himalayas, arid landscape and majority of north-eastern landscapes were not sampled, and therefore this population estimate should be considered as minimum number of leopards in each of the landscapes.
• Key highlights
  • Total Population: 12,852
  • 60% increase in population in 2018 when compared to 2014.
    • But North-eastern region see the population facing major threat due to land use changes triggered by agriculture, tea gardens and linear infrastructure projects.
  • Regional Distribution (MP > KAR > MHA > TN > Chhattisgarh > UK )
    • Shivalik Hills and Gangetic Plains: 1,253 leopards
      • Uttarakhand > UP > Bihar
    • North-eastern Landscape: 141 leopards
      • WB > Assam > Arunachal
    • Central India and Eastern Ghats: 8071 leopards
      • MP > MHA > Chhattisgarh
    • Western Ghats: 3,386 leopards
      • Karnataka > TN > Kerala

3) SNOW LEOPARD

• Distribution:
  • Native to mountain ranges of central and South Asia, it is found along the upper reaches of Himalayas at elevations between 3000-4000 m.
    • It is known as the “ghost of mountain” and is the top predator of the region.
    • Flagship species for the high-altitude Himalayas.
    • Indicator Species for whole mountain ecosystem.
    • Reclusive nature of Snow Leopard and difficult terrain have made population estimation difficult.
  • In India it is found in Ladakh, Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.
  • Hemis (Ladakh) is also known as the snow leopard capital of the world.
  • India has identified three landscapes namely:
    1. Hemis-Spiti across Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh.
    2. Nanda Devi – Gangotri in Uttarakhand
    3. Khangchendzonga – Tawang across Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
  • Globally, it is found in 12 countries of South Asia and Central Asia – Russia, China, Mongolia, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyztan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
• Conservation Status
  • IUCN: VU
    • Note: IUCN moved it from endangered to vulnerable in 2017
  • WPA: Schedule 1
  • CITES: Appendix 1
  • Convention on Migratory Species (Appendix – 1)
• National Heritage Animal: Snow leopard is national heritage animal of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
• Key threats
  • Habitat loss, fragmentation, human-animal conflict, hostile habitat -> traditionally lower population.

Programs by GoI to protect Snow Leopard

A) Secure Himalayas (Launched in Oct 2017)

• It is a GEF-UNDP funded project which is focused on conservation of high altitude biodiversity and reducing the dependence on local communities on the natural ecosystem.
  • It is currently operational in four snow leopard ranges – J&K, Himachal, UK and Sikkim.

B) Project Snow Leopard (Launched by GOI in 2009)

• It is an initiative for strengthening wildlife conservation in the Himalayan High altitudes, covering Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, UK, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
• It aims at promoting knowledge-based and adaptive conservation framework that fully involves local communities, who share snow-leopard’s range, in conservation efforts.
• The project facilitates a landscape level approach to wildlife conservation by developing scientific frameworks for comprehensive surveys, rationalizing the existing protected area network and improving protected area management.

C) “Himal Sanrakshak” – Community Volunteer Program

• Launched in Oct 2020

D) The UT of Ladakh has adopted Snow Leopard and Black Necked Crane, as the state animal and state bird (Sep 2021)

E) Snow Leopard Conservation Breeding Program

• It is being carried out at Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park.

International Efforts

A) International Snow Leopard Day: 23rd October

• It marks the adoption of Bishkek Declaration by 12 countries on the conservation of snow leopard in 2013.
• The Global Snow Leopard & Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP) was also launched on the same day.

B) Global Snow Leopard & Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP)

• About GSLEP:
  • The GSLEP is a first-of-its kind intergovernmental alliance for the conservation of the snow leopard and its unique system. It was created in 2013 when officials, and conservationists arrived at a common conservation strategy enshrined in the Bishkek Declaration (2013) to cooperate in the conservation of this species and its habitat.
  • It is a range wide effort and unites range country government, NGOs, local communities, and private sector to conserve snow leopard and their ecosystem.
  • It is led by environment ministers of 12 countries in Asia which form the home range of snow leopards.
  • The GSLEP secretariat is in Bishkek.
  • India is a member of GSLEP since 2013.
    • GoI also hosted 4th Steering Committee of the GSLEP in 2019 which also resulted in the “New Delhi Statement” of strengthening the resolve of the snow leopard range countries towards conservation of the mountain ecosystem of Central and South Asia.

4) CLOUDED LEOPARD (NEOFELIS NEBULOSA)

• Why in news?
  • Anewstudyrevealthat cloudedleoparddoesn’t follow any specific pattern of operating in a certain space, unlike other carnivores (Aug 2023)
• About Clouded Leopard

The clouded leopard has been named so after the cloud-shaped pattern on its skin. They are considered evolutionary link between big cats and small cats. Habitations They are typically rainforest dwellers, but can also be found in drier forest of South East Asia. Distribution: Himalayan foot hills to Southeast Asia and China. In India, they are distributed in Northern West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.	IUCN Status: VU It is also the state animal of Meghalaya
Study: A new study revealed that clouded leopard doesn't follow any specific pattern of operating in a certain space, unlike other carnivores. They seemed to go wherever they pleased without worrying about other predators, primarily because of their ability to climb trees, even hang upside down from large branches.
First Sighting in Nagaland Mountains: This animal is known to inhabit low elevation primary evergreen rainforests. It was spotted for the first time at an altitude of 3,700 meters along the Indo-Myanmar borders in Nagaland. The finding has been published in the Winter 2021 issue of the Cat news, a biannual newsletter by IUCN/Species Survival Commission (SSC) Cat Specialist Group.
It is locally known as Khepak in the local Chir dialect. It is also the largest wild feline in the area in the absence of Tigers and common leopards, which are regionally extinct.

5) BLACK PANTHERS

• It is a melanistic color variant of any big cat species.
  • In Asia and Africa, they are leopards.
  • In Americas they are jaguars.
• Conservation Status
  • IUCN/WPA/CITES: VU/Schedule 1/ Appendix 1
• Distribution in India
  • Odisha to Kerala

6) FISHING CAT

 

Fishing cats are generally twice the size of the household cats. They are generally found on the Marshy wetlands of northern and eastern India, and on the mangroves of the east coast. » They are found in Sundarbans of India and Bangladesh, Chilika Lake and surrounding wetlands in Odisha, Coringa and Krishna Mangroves in Andhra Pradesh. » The fishing cat has also been document in Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, Pilibhit, Dudhwa, Valmiki Tiger Reserve, and Sur Sarovar Bird Sanctuary. » They are generally observed while hunting along the edges of water bodies grabbing prey from the water or diving in to catch prey farther from the banks. Other features » They are mostly active at night and adults are solitary in nature

Pro/tection Status » IUCN: VU » CITES: APPENDIX-II » WPA: Schedule-1

• World’s First Fishing Cat Census done in Chilika (June 2022)
  • The Chilika Lake, Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon, has 176 fishing cats: As per the census done by Chilika Development Authority in collaboration with the Fishing Cat Conservation Alliance (FCCA), a nonprofit.
• About Fishing Cat Conservation Alliance (FCCA)
  • It is an NGO which consists of team of conservationists, researchers, and enthusiasts across the world working to achieve a single dream – a world with functioning floodplains and coastal ecosystems that ensure survival of the fishing cat and all species with which it shares a home.
• Fishing Cat Project launched by Chilika Development Authority in collaboration with FCCA in 2010
  • As part of the project awareness will be created among local people and fishermen for the animal’s conservation.
• In 2012, WB government declared fishing cat as the state animal and the Calcutta Zoo has two big enclosures dedicated to them.
• Major threats
  • Habitat Loss (wetland degradation, and conversion of aquaculture, and other commercial projects), Sandmining along riverbanks, agriculture intensification etc.
  • Killed by people under assumption that it is a juvenile tiger and thus dangerous.

7) HIMALAYAN SEROW (CAPRICORNIS SUMATRAENSIS THAR)

• Details
  • There are several species of serows, and all are found in Asia. The Himalayan serow is restricted to Himalayan region and are typically found at altitudes between 2,000 meters and 4,000 meters. They are found in eastern, central and Western Himalayas but not in trans-Himalayan region.
  • Taxonomically it is a subspecies of the mainland serow (Capricornis Sumatrensis).

8) GAUR / INDIAN BISON (BAUS GAURUS)

It is also known as Indian Bison and is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the biggest among wild cattles. IUCN: VU Habitat: Largely confined to evergreen forests or semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests. Historical Distribution: It occurred throughout mainland south and southeast Asia. Present Distribution:  But today the population is fragmented, with it being extinct from Sri Lanka and Malaysian Peninsula.  They are largely confined to evergreen forests or semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests, but also inhabits deciduous forest areas at the periphery. Note: The domesticated form of the gaur is called gayal (Bos frontalis) or mithun.

Distribution in India:  Western Ghats in particular Wayanad -Nagarhole - Mudumalai - Bandipur complex constitute one of the most extensive extant strongholds of gaur. Nilgiri forest division is estimated to have a population of more than 2,000.  Eastern Ghats also has some population of gaurs in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Interesting Fact: The famous drink "Red Bull" is based on a Thai drink 'Gratin Daang', meaning "red gaur".

Bos frontalis (Mithun) - Domesticated form of Gaur: Recent News: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has recognized the mithun as a 'food animal' with effect from 1st Sep. With this, the mithun can be commercially farmed and its meat processed for pickles, soups, wafers nd biryani. Work is on to help farmers and tribal village communities benefit commercially from the sale and processing of Mithun. The Animal is endemic to Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. It is semi-domesticated and is reared in free range forest ecosystem. The only supplementary feed that it needs is salt. It is the state animal of both Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland. The slaughter of the mithun is traditionally reserved for special occasions such as festivals or weddings (and now a days - elections) Biodiversity Significance: The "food animal" status can increase the commercial value and may increase the population of Mithun.

9) FOUR HORNED ANTELOPES (TETRACERUS QUADRICORNIS)

Details: Species of small antelope found in open forests of India and Nepal. It is the only species currently classified in genus Tetracerus. It is the smallest of Asian bovids. Males are unique among extant animals as they possess four permanent horns.

Threats: Loss of natural habitat to agriculture land.

It should drink water regularly to survive.

10) NILGIRI MARTEN

• Details: The Nilgiri Marten is the only species of Marten found in South India. Only species
  of marten which is considered Vulnerable to extinction.
• Habitat: Hills of Nilgiris and parts of Western Ghats. Endemic to western Ghats, inhibit
  areas that are far from human disturbance.
• Threat: Habitat loss and fragmentation; Hunting for fur

11) NILGIRI LANGUR / NILGIRI LEAF MONKEY (TRACHYPITHECUS JOHNII)

• Endemic to Southern India. Distributed in southern western ghats – Karnataka, TN and
  Kerala.
  • It prefers higher altitude and is a canopy dweller. It forages on fruits and vegetables.
• Threats
  • Habitat Destruction: Deforestation
  • Poaching: For fur and Flesh (which is believed to have aphrodisiac properties)

12) BARASINGHA OR SWAMP DEER

• Habitat/Distribution
  • It has a very patchy distribution.
  • There are three subspecies of the swamp deer:
    • Southern Swamp Deer/Hard Ground Barasingha are found in Central and
      North India. They have hard hooves and is adapted to the flooded tall
      grassland habitat in the Indo-Gangetic plain.
      • They are restricted to Kanha National Park and Satpura Tiger
        Reserve.
    • Eastern Swamp Deer are found in Kaziranga (Assam).
    • Western Swamp Deer has splayed hooves and is adapted to the flooded
      tall grassland habitat in the Indo-Gangetic plains.
    • IUCN: VU

13) ORIENTAL SMALL CLAWED OTTER AND SMOOTH COATED OTTER

A) ORIENTAL SMALL CLAWED OTTER / ASIAN SMALL CLAWED OTTER

• Smallest otter species in the world, weighing less than 5 Kg.
• Habitat: Live on mangrove swamp or freshwater wetlands of Bangladesh,
  Burma, India, South China, and Southeast Asia.
• Threat: Habitat loss, pollution, trade, and hunting.
  • Trade is rampant as the pups of both these otters are high in demand
    in Asian market and can fetch upto $10,000.
• CITES: Appendix-1
• WPA: Schedule-1 (2022 amendment)

B) SMOOTH COATED OTTER (LUTROGALE PERSPICCILLATE)

• It is a species of otter, the only extant representative of the genus Lutrogale.
• The species is found in most of the subcontinent and eastward in South East Asia, with a disjunct population in Iraq.
• As its name suggest the fur of the species is smoother and shorter than that of other otters.
• The otter lives in rivers, lakes, peat swamp forests, mangroves and estuaries.
  • It uses swamps as natal den sites and nursery during the breeding season in
    early winter.
• Note – India has another (a third) species of otter – The Eurasian Otter. Its IUCN
  status is near threatened.

THE EURASIAN OTTER (IUCN: NT)

Other than oriental small, clawed otter and smooth coated otter, India also has Eurasian Otter.

About Eurasian Otter: It is classified as NT on the IUCN red list. It is regarded as a flagship species and indicatory of highquality aquatic habitat.

Distribution: it has one of the widest distributions of all palaearctic mammals. Itsrange covers parts of Europe, Africa and Asia.

In India, it occurs in northern, northeastern and southern India.

Recently, a team of scientists have camera trapped three Eurasian Otters – two adults and one sub-adult in the NEERU stream of the Chenab catchment (March 2023)

Neeru river is a tributary of the Chenab river and the finding shows that upper stretch of its remain unpolluted.

14) ASIAN BLACK BEAR/ MOON BEAR OR WHITE CHESTED BEAR

• Details: Medium size bear, largely adapted for arboreal life.
• Habitat: Asian Black Bear has wide distribution in the higher elevation of N and NE India and other Southeast Asia.
  • Out of the 7 subspecies, ‘Himalayan Black Bear, Indo Chinese Black Bear, and Tibetan Black Bear are distributed within the Indian boundaries of its global distribution.
  • Himalayan subspecies is found in Kashmir Himalayan and Sikkim.
  • Indochinese subspecies is distributed in Himalayas along the China Border
  • Tibetan subspecies is found in Nepal and Assam.
• Threats: Deforestation and hunting for its body parts.
• WPA: Schedule-1 (2022 amendment)

15) INDIAN SLOTH BEAR (MELURSUS URSINUS URSINUS) – SUBSPECIES OF SLOTH BEAR

• Why in news?
  • IUCN has declared 12th October as the World Sloth Bear Day. The first world sloth bear day was observed on 12th October 2022.
    • The day is a rallying call for people around the world to learn more about this lesserknown species and promote conservation.
• It is one of the eight bear species found in India. It is endemic to Indian sub-continent. They have evolved from ancestor brown bear during the Pleistocene and shares features found in insect-eating mammals.
• They are unique bears -> they carry their young on their backs for six-nine months and 50% of their diet is made up of termites and ants. They also feed on honeybee colony and fruits.
• Population Decline: In last 3 decades, the population has fallen by 40%-50%.
• Key threats:
  • Habitat loss and Fragmentation
  • Poaching
  • Increasing Human Animal conflict:
    • The sloth bear is more inclined to attack man unprovoked than almost any other animal, and casualties inflicted by it are unfortunately very common.
  • In the past, the ethnic group of Kalandars captured these bears and tortured them to perform.
• Conservation Status
  • IUCN: Vulnerable
  • WPA: Schedule 1
  • CITES: Appendix II
• Where are they found in India?
  • It is the most widespread bear species in India, where it mostly occurs in areas with forest cover, low hills bordering outer ranges of Himalayas from Punjab to Arunachal Pradesh.
  • It is absent in high mountains of Himachal and Jammu and Kashmir, the northwestern deserts of Rajasthan, and a broad unforested swath in south, where Mount Abu WLS is located.
• Global Distribution: Sloth bear’s geographical range includes India, the Southern lowlands of Nepal, and Sri Lanka. It is regionally extinct in Bangladesh.
  • In Nepal, only a tiny scattering of this species is found.
  • In Sri Lanka a subspecies is found.
  • Thus, India is the main home of this species and 90% of the global sloth bear population is found in India.
  • It occurs in wide range of habitats including wet and dry tropical forests, Savannahs, Scrublands, and grassland below 1500 m on the Indian sub-continent

16) HIMALAYAN YAK

• Why in news?
  • Himalayan Yak is accepted as food animal by the scientific panel of FSSAI, after recommendations from Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD). (Nov 2022)

Categorization as Food Animal: - Background: The request was submitted by National Research Centre on Yak (NRC-Y) based in Arunachal Pradesh's Dirang in 2021. FSSAI's Approval came in Nov 2022. Significance: - The categorization is expected to help check the decline in the population by making it part of the conventional milk and meat industry. - It will also contribute to development of local entrepreneurship. - Yak Milk and Meat are nutrient loaded: o Yak Milk has 78-82% of water; 7.5-8.5% of fat; 4.9 -5.3% protein, 4.5-5.0% lactose and 12-13% of solids-not fat. o Yak Meat is also lean with 21.7% protein and 1.5% crude fat.

Yaks are traditionally reared under a transhumance system which is primitive, unorganized and full of hardship. But the Yak Population in the country had been decreasing at alarming rate (It has dropped by 25% to 58,000 in 2019 from the 2012 numbers. The mains reason is the less remuneration from the bovid. It is mainly because Yak milk and meat are not a part of the conventional dairy and meat industry. Thus, there sale is limited to local consumers. IUCN: VU CITES: Appendix-1 WPA: Schedule-1