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The Zanskar, Karakoram and Ladakh ranges, at altitudes above 14,000 ft, are home to around 310 rare animal and avian species unique to the region. These animals have adapted to the year-round sub-zero temperatures of the alpine terrain. But many are now endangered due to changes in their habitat as well as human interference. Yaks, ibex, Himalayan marmots, wild asses, Ladakh urials, bharals and the elusive snow leopard are among a few of the animals that can be spotted in the mountain ranges.
The Ladakh urial, locally called shapo , is one of the smallest varieties of wild mountain sheep found in the trans-Himalayan valley of Indus and its tributary Shyok. There are only 1,000-1,500 urials left in the region, putting them in the IUCN list of threatened species. Urials are commonly viewed as the ancestor of the domesticated sheep. The male has a black ruff stretching from the neck to the chest. Different species of urials are found across Central Asia. The double-humped Bactrian camel, originally from Central Asia, are found in the high-altitude cold desert of Ladakh’s Nubra Valley.
Himalayan marmots abound in the grasslands of the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary, nestled between the two mountain lakes Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri in Ladakh. One of the largest marmot species, they can be identified by their dense, light brown fur and a black mark between the eyes. They live in large colonies during hibernation. Legend has it that the gold-digging ants that the Greek historian Herodotus wrote about in his book Histories were actually Himalayan marmots. Dardic communities used to excavate their burrows for gold dust.
Payel Majumdar Upreti
Say hello: The Changthangi goats are reared for their fine pashmina wool, but an increase in livestock population deprives the region’s wild animals of their share of grazing ground
Desert companion: Bactrian camels were introduced in Ladakh as late as the 19th century by travellers from Yarkland (currently Xinjiang, China) and now remain a tourist attraction
Careful step: The Ladakh urial is a wild sheep species that inhabits the stonier slopes of the Himalayan ranges. While the males have larger horns that curl outwards, the females have smaller and compressed horns
Taking refuge: Himalayan marmots, one of the largest subspecies of the marmot family, dwell in alpine grasslands above 3,000 metres in Ladakh
Black mirror: The valley and grasslands between the mountain lakes Tso Moriri and Pangong Tso form the natural habitat of urials, marmots and wild asses
Country staple: Wild yaks are the largest bovids found in the Himalayas, and they typically inhabit treeless plateaus
Graceful leap: The wild ass of Ladakh can be found aplenty in the Changthang grasslands
Come together: Male and female urials move in separate herds except during mating season around September, and are usually spotted in the lower reaches of the Ladakh ranges in winter
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