Encroachment forcing Himalayan animals to flee to lower valleys

Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, June 9

Himalayan wild animals are being compelled to leave their natural habitats due to encroachment by people in the higher meadows to pick wonder drug yarsa gumba.

This became evident after a pack of Himalayan Thar was seen near Aalam Drama village, at a height of 6,000 ft, in Munsiyari sub-division of Pithoragarh district. The Thar used to habitat at 8,000-ft high Himalayan meadows.

“It is due to large-scale encroachment by villagers at more than 8,000-ft high meadows,” said Surendra Panwar, secretary of Monal NGO, which is working towards saving Himalayan species from the past one decade.

Residents and organisations working to make habitats of Himalayan animals free of human encroachment said after yarsa gumba came to the surface around 1990, the adjoining villagers posed threat to the higher Himalayan animals and forced them to flee to either the lower valleys or nearby places in Tibetan region of China.

“It is not a good symptom for Himalayan animals and species as due to heavy human encroachment in these higher meadows, the animals are either being killed or being compelled to flee their natural habitats, which is a bad omen for the future of Himalayan identity,” said Hira Singh Chairal, a resident who witnessed the pack of Thar near Aalam Drama village last week.

Besides Himalayan Thars, several other rare animals have recently been seen in lower valleys. Monal bird has been spotted in lower valleys of Khalia Bugyal during the trek of the year programme, which concluded recently.

“All these symptoms have made us believe that the crisis is mounting on Himalayan animals after the picking of yarsa gumba began and recently, after trek festivals were started in high Himalayan meadows of Munsiyari,” Surendra Panwar added.