First camera-trap record of the snow leopard Panthera uncia in Gaurishankar Conservation Area, Nepal

Abstract

The snow leopard Panthera uncia is the flagship species of the high mountains of the Himalayas. There is potentially continuous habitat for the snow leopard along the northern border of Nepal, but there is a gap in information about the snow leopard in Gaurishankar Conservation Area. Previous spatial analysis has suggested that the Lamabagar area in this Conservation Area could serve as a transboundary corridor for snow leopards, and that the area may connect local populations, creating a metapopulation. However, there has been no visual confirmation of the species in Lamabagar. We set 11 infrared camera traps for 7 months in Lapchi Village of Gaurishankar Conservation Area, where blue sheep Pseudois nayaur, musk deer Moschus leucogaster and Himalayan tahr Hemitragus jemlahicus, all snow leopard prey species, had been observed. In November 2018 at 4,100 m, 5 km south-west of Lapchi Village, one camera recorded three images of a snow leopard, the first photographic evidence of the species in the Conservation Area. Sixteen other species of mammals were also recorded. Camera-trap records and sightings indicated a high abundance of Himalayan tahr, blue sheep and musk deer. Lapchi Village may be a potentially important corridor for snow leopard movement between the east and west of Nepal and northwards to Quomolongma National Park in China. However, plans for development in the region present increasing threats to this corridor. We recommend development of a transboundary conservation strategy for snow leopard conservation in this region, with participation of Nepal, China and international agencies.

A checklist of mammals of Gaurishankar Conservation Area, Nepal

“…GCA is least explored in terms of biodiversity research. Recent research in the area reported the presence of snow leopard (Panthera uncia), Himalayan wolf (Canis lupus), Asiatic golden cat (Pardofelis temminckii) (Koju et al 2020;Koju et al 2021;Pandey et al 2021). The existence of red panda (Ailurus fulgens) and Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) was also confirmed in this study.…”

“…In the study area, the vertical topography and high variation in altitudinal gradients have created a mosaic of habitats suitable for many species of global significance. A recent camera trapping study has identified the presence of many important charismatic species in the region (Koju et al 2020;Koju et al 2021;Pandey et al 2021). Therefore, systematic taxonomic research in this area is sorely needed to understand mammalian fauna in the region.…”

Seasonal Prey Abundance and Food Plasticity of the Vulnerable Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) in the Lapchi Valley, Nepal Himalayas

“…Lapchi Valley comprises sub-tropical to nival bio-climatic zones with 16 major vegetation types [22,23]. Recorded faunal diversity includes 235 bird species, 77 mammal, 16 fish, 14 snake, 10 amphibian and 8 lizard species [10,24,25]. Musk deer, Himalayan bear, Chinese pangolin, Assamese macaque, snow leopard, and leopard cat are some of the nationally threatened species living in the GCA [23,26].…”

“…The WWF [9] has estimated that 39 snow leopards inhabit the Eastern Himalayas of Nepal (stretching from Kanchanjunga CA to Langtang NP). Though the potential habitats for snow leopards is contiguous from east to west along the Himalayan range of Nepal, the photographic evidence of snow leopards in Gaurishankar CA was only recently provided by our team [10]. The snow leopard is the apex predator of the Himalayas, an indicator of a healthy mountain ecosystem [11], and it plays a key role in maintaining biodiversity in the ecosystem through predation dynamics and trophic cascades [12].…”