File photo of Himalayan Black Bear.
Kathmandu, November 16
Four new animal species have been recorded in Shivapuri-Nagarjun national Park that park lies in the capital city of the country.
After three years of continuous camera trapping from 2013 to 2015, wildlife experts found the Himalayan black bear, Himalayan ghoral, serow and civet for the first time in the history of Shivapuri-Nagarjun National Park.
According to expert Mukesh Kumar Chalise, the Himalayan black bear, Himalayan ghoral and Himalayan serow are found especially in the Himalayan region in and around mountain areas.
File photo of Himalayan ghoral.
But those animals have been dramatically recorded in Shivapuri National Park situated in a hilly area.
“These four animal species have never been seen and snapped in Shivapuri area before,” he told The Himalayan Times, “Being an area near Langtang National Park, these species may have migrated to the downstream area or there may be other causes.” He said due to lack of research possible cause cannot be precisely stated.
He claimed that there was no photograph of serow snapped in Nepal yet and this is the first event where he succeeded in snapping it.
Under the leadership of Chalise a team of Nepal Biodiversity Society had conducted camera trapping for three years and all cameras were brought back from the spot in June this year.
Beside, large, medium and tiny palm civets have also been recorded. They were never recorded before in the park area though these species belong to the mid-hill areas.
File photo of Civet.
Around 22 cameras were set at the field and research cost about Rs 1 million.
Chalise said detailed numerical results may take a few months as only row snaps and data are available right now.
Himalayan black bears are scattered across the Himalayas from Bhutan to Pakistan. They are most populous in mountainous areas and jungles.
File photo of Serow.
Himalayan black bears have a black coat with a light brown muzzle and a pale yellow crescent on their chest. On average, they measure from 56 to 65 inches nose to tail and weigh from 200 to 265 pounds, though they may weigh as much as 400 pounds in the fall when they are fattening up for hibernation.
The Himalayan ghoral is a bovine species found across the Himalayas.
It is listed as near threatened on the IUCN red List because the population is thought to be declining significantly due to habitat loss and hunting for meat.
A version of this article appears in print on November 17, 2016 of The Himalayan Times.
