Upper Mustang is one of the remote and isolated parts of Nepalese Himalayas and most preserved regions in the world encompassing an area of 2020 km2. Upper Mustang which poses Trans Himalayan climate is in rain shadow of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri range comprises the most diverse variety of biodiversity. It has been the jewel for wildlife research in an optimal level due to the discovery of new species in this pristine home range in successive period of time one after another. Some of the species are mentioned which are newly discovered for the Kingdom of Himalayas in Annapurna Conservation area.
Pallas cat: Pallas cat hence otherwise called Otocolobus manul which is native to the steppe regions of Central Asia. Weighing 2.5- 4.5 kg with the body length of 46-65 cm as the same size as domestic cat has thick fur with concentric white and black rims around the eyes accentuate their rounded shape. They feed largely on diurnally active prey species for example gerbils, pikas, voles and chukar partridges, and sometimes catch young marmots (Sunquist and Sunquist, 2002). They have the gestation period of 66 to 75 days and life span of up to 11 years in captivity. Conservationists had started a study on the rare Pallas’ cat species, spotted for the first time in Upper Manang area in January 2014(The Kathmandu Post, 2014).The recording of this elusive and solitary cat made the number of cat species to 11 in Nepal Himalayas.
Otocolobus manul has been assessed as Near- threatened by IUCN Red list category since 2002 (Ross et al., 2015) and placed in Appendix-II by CITIES. The research project on Pallas cat has been further assessed by Rinjin Phunjok Lama/ GPN with the supporting hands from Rufford small grants to fulfill the primary baseline data regarding its ecology in Nepal that has helped the forestry students, conservation fabricators, local people to know about the abundance, distribution areas and conservation initiatives that could be planted for this elusive member of cat. Furthermore, interested students from conservation field can make an access for their research to complete their thesis.
Steppe Pole cat: The Steppe polecat (Mustela eversmanii), also known as the white or masked polecat, is a species of mustelid native to Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Steppe Polecat inhabits a variety of relatively dry habitats including steppes, semi-deserts, pastures, and cultivated fields (Mitchell-Jones et al., 1999). Its diet consists mainly of rodents (including susliks Spermophilus, marmots Marmota, and various genera of hamsters, gerbils and voles) and pikas Ochotona. It avoids forests and is primarily nocturnal. It is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red list category. It is a new species of cat in the scenario of Nepal which was recorded for the first time in May 23, 2014.It occurs up to 800 m in Europe and up to 2,600 m in central Asia; the single Nepal record was at 5,050 m (Chetri et al. 2014).
A number of historical indications further south in China and one from Kashmir, India, lack precise localities; a single recent record from the upper Mustang, Nepal, is far south of any previous known location in the eastern part of the species’s range (Pocock 1941, Chetri et al. 2014). Although there is only this one record from Nepal, some local people seem familiar with the species, indicating a resident population there (Chetri et al., 2014). The scientific baseline of this species is still lacking in the context of Nepal. Therefore, the study on this elusive cat can be a matter of subject concern for carrying out the research to be familiar with the characteristics and biological ecology of this feline member including the conservation fabrication. For the students pursuing the degree of Forestry, Environment sciences, Zoology, the species will be a concern of research where students like us can turn unturned success in finding about their biological ecology. The findings will act as a lime light which will describe the species and make people aware about it in an outreach level.
Tibetan Wolf: The Tibetan wolf (Canis lupus chanco Gray, 1863 ), also known as the woolly wolf, is a grey wolf subspecies native to Central Asia from Turkestan throughout Tibet to Mongolia, northern China and the Indian subcontinent. The Tibetan wolf was first described by British zoologist John Edward Gray in 1863. It is a smallish subspecies that rarely exceeds 45 kg comprise the contour hairs of the winter fur measure 100–120 mm on the shoulders, 70–80 mm on the back and 40–60 mm on the flanks. They feed largely on hares throughout the year, marmots in summer and large numbers of goat and sheep in winter, when deep snow impedes the mobility of ungulates.
In the 20th century, wolves were not recorded on the southern slopes of the Himalayas in Nepal (Pocock, 1941).It was recorded for the first time in Nepal in July, 2014. A sophisticated camera was set at Dharkeko Pass in Upper Mustang at an altitude of 5047 meters by Madhu Chettri, a senior conservation officer at National Trust for Nature Conservation during the monitoring of Snow leopard and Wolf in Annapurna and Manaslu landscape (The Kathmandu Post, 2014). This canidae even don’t pose sufficient information regarding much of its ecology. Even anecdotal data are also not available to discuss regarding the behavioral ecology of this canidae species which has been a barrier to assess the protection and management plan for this newly recorded cat in the Himalayan kingdom. Therefore, the concern of forestry students regarding these species will make a firm stance to generate field based data on this species of canidae member.
Apart from these newly discovered species, Upper mustang is a dwindling landmark for diverse species of mammals like Snow Leopard, Black bear, Himalayan Marmot, Himalayan Wooly hare, Blue Sheep, Red fox, Himalayan Pika and many more which are aptly in need of science based assessment. Much of the species are posing the anecdotal baseline only due to the lack of scientific based research on each and every individual species which has created hindrances in the long term conservation aspect of these species .
Henceforth, Upper Mustang, the remote kingdom of Nepalese Himalayas is a destined courtyard where the wildlife enthusiasts, veterans, conservation practitioners, citizen scientists and students of forestry can have the indepth research and explore the hidden unanimous information regarding the species of this Himalayan Kingdom. The outputs will definitely pave new information and help explore the species which will ultimately help the concerned authority involved in the conservation field in the sector of conservation through the fabrication of suitable management plan.
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