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Ladakh Wildlife Tours
Ladakh Wildlife Tours
Ladakh Wildlife (An Introduction)
Ladakh is a unique wildlife destination in India. Ladakh region is home of many rare and exotic animals and birds. Ladakh has a distinct alpine, floral and faunal variety. Several flowering plants, a dozen important mammals and over a hundred species of birds are found here in this rugged territory. Most of the species are classified as endangered or rare.
You can see various species of birds during tours to Ladakh as; Tibetan snow cocks, griffons vultures, lammergeyers and bearded vultures, which have a 3 m long wingspan. You can also see in Ladakh region many types of migratory birds including graceful Black-necked Crane. You can also see here a wide verity of animals including wild Yak, Ibex Bharal or blue sheep, Nyan or big horns sheep, Kiang or Himalayan wild ass, Chiru or Tibetan Antelope and the elusive snow leopard.
In this extremely harsh environment the untrained eye would hardly see any evidence of wildlife at all. Animals, which have adapted to the rigorous conditions however, thrive on the minimal vegetation, poor shelter, rocky terrain and bitter cold. Nevertheless, most creatures, notably the ungulates, do migrate to lower regions in winter while others, like the brown bear and marmots, choose to hibernate. Ironically, at this altitude many animals suffer from "mountain sickness" because of the lack of oxygen! Their bodies however, seem to adopt to this condition, as the number of red blood corpuscles increases along with blood acidity. Most large mammals have a unique devise for protection against the cold-- a highly insulated shaggy coat. They, therefore, have less need for shelter from the elements. This perhaps why more species of goat and sheep live here in open country than anywhere else on earth.
Yak
Yak (dong)-a wild ox is the largest animal found in Ladakh. It is first described by the famous Russian naturalist-explorer, N. M. Przewalski only a few years ago. It is definitely more imposing than its placid domestic counterpart. Immensely shaggy and weighing about a tone it has curved horns whose tips can be as wide apart as 90 cm. and measure 76 cm. over the curves. It can easily be distinguished by its long black hair, which is tinged with gray at the muzzle. Spending its summers at a height above 6,000 meters, in winter it moves in herds to the lakes, marshes and lower valleys.
Nyan
Nyan is the largest and most magnificent of wild sheep in the whole world. It is also called the Great Tibetan sheep (Ovis ammon). Approximately 200 of these are found in the great eastern section of Ladakh. The horns of the nyan gauge up to 145 cm. and the animal normally remains at a great height, rarely descending to a level below 4,500 meters.
Urial
The smallest sheep in the world, Urial or shapu (Ovis orientalis) weighs approx. 85 Kg and has horns measuring 99 cm. Its body is just about as tall as its horns. These sheep prefer the grassy mountain slopes. The breeding of this species, as is the case with most sheep, takes place during December-January and they give birth to their young ones around May. The need for protection of the urial is great as they are within easy reach of hunters. Their numbers have been declining rapidly and it is estimated that there are no more than 500 in Ladakh.
Rajasthan
Tour Itinerary
