New snow leopard record in India 791
marten Martes flavigula and mountain weasel Mustela al- taica), amongst which we recorded the highest photo cap- ture rate for the red fox. The generally greater detection of carnivores compared to prey could be attributed to our sur- vey design, which focused on trails, trail junctions and ridge lines used by carnivores. We also documented significant anthropogenic pressure
through livestock grazing at higher elevations in the Kibber, Kiyar, Nanth and Renai catchments. Nearly 3,000 graziers and nomadic herders visit the alpine pastures in the Marwah range each year, with c. 150,000 livestock (Hilaluddin & Naqash, 2006). Overstocking is therefore a threat to both the habitat and the wild ungulate prey of the snow leopard through competition for pasture. This could lead to human–wildlife conflict and drive the snow leopard and its prey into suboptimal areas, thus exposing them to other threats. Our camera-trapping results indicate an avoidance of livestock-grazing areas by snow leopards and wild ungu- lates during summer (May–August), with no detections of these species during thesemonths. This could have significant conservation implications and requires further examination. Our findings indicate that Kishtwar High Altitude
National Park is potential snow leopard habitat. This region connects three Himalayan landscapes: the greater Himalayas of Jammu and Kashmir, the trans-Himalayas of Ladakh (through Zanskar) and the lesser Himalayas of Himachal Pradesh (Baba, 2003; Kichloo & Sharma, 2021). Given the geographical position of the Kishtwar landscape and its high- altitude passes that connect snow leopard populations in the Himalayan and trans-Himalayan regions (Snow Leopard Conservancy, 2018; Kothari, 2022) to the global snow leopard range (Fig 2), our findings are important for snow leopard conservation in India.We recommend that a comprehensive study is conducted over the entire Kishtwar landscape (in- cluding the Paddar andWadwan valleys) to estimate the oc- cupancy and abundance, and demography and movement patterns of snow leopards and their prey. In addition, evalu- ation of their interactions with pastoral communities and threats to the conservation and management of this impor- tant high-altitude region is needed.
Acknowledgements We thank the Department ofWildlife Protection, Jammu and Kashmir, for providing research permits M.K. Kumar, IFS, Regional WildlifeWarden Jammu, for supporting us throughout the study; the Wildlife Biology Laboratory at the Centre of Research for Development, University of Kashmir, and the National Development Foundation, Jammu for the academic and logistical support. We also thank the field assistants from Kishtwar village for their help with the data collection. This study was funded by theDepartment of Wildlife Protection, Jammu andKashmir, through a research project sanctioned to the National Development Foundation, Jammu.
Author contributions Conceptualization: TB, PC; data collection, field surveys: OS, MR; data analysis: OS; research design and interpre- tation: TB; writing:OS, TB; resources and supervision: TB, PC; research permission: PC; revision: OS, TB, PC.
Conflicts of interest None.
Ethical standards Our study is based on field data collected through non-invasive sampling.We conducted our camera-trap placement in a socially responsible manner that did not violate privacy or cause other unnecessary harm. Our research received the necessary approvals and permits from appropriate institutions and statutory authorities of Jammu and Kashmir. No ethical approval was required for this research, and it otherwise abides by the Oryx guidelines on ethical standards.
Data availability The data supporting our findings are available on request from the corresponding author.
References
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BABA, M.M. (2003) Annual Animal Census Report of Kishtwar High Altitude National Park 2002–03. Chenab Division, Department of Wildlife Protection, Government of Jammu and Kashmir, Kishtwar, India.
GHOSHAL, A., BHATNAGAR, Y.V., PANDAV, B., SHARMA, K.,MISHRA, C., RAGHUNATH,R. & SURYAWANSHI, K.R. (2019) Assessing changes in distribution of the Endangered snow leopard Panthera uncia and its wild prey over 2 decades in the Indian Himalaya through interview-based occupancy surveys. Oryx, 53, 620–632.
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Oryx, 2024, 58(6), 788–792 © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605323001965
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