Rich Wildlife of Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh 

Introduction

The erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir has a special responsibility towards the rest of the country and indeed the world at large. Owing to events that took place as far back as 25 million years, the region has been endowed with a truly unique variety of life forms. These creatures had to adjust to the very special environment created when the break-away island that was to gorm the Indian peninsula met with the Asian mainland in the cataclysm birth of the Himalayas. The mountains, foothills and plain house a zoogeographic diversity ranging from Oriental to Paleractic flora and funa. And it is the conservation of this diversity that is the principal responsibility of the Jammu and Kashmir Department of Wildlife Protection.

The animals that are to be protected are, snow leopard (Panthera uncia), the common leopard (Panthera pardus), brown bear (Ursus arctos), the Himaliyan black bear (Selenarctos thibetanus), the hangul (Cervus elaphus hanglu), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), markhor ( Capra falvigula) and the shapu (Ovis orientalis) to name just a few. Above the mighty peaks soar grand raptors - golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos hodgsoni), lammergeiers (Gypaetus barbatus), black eagles (Ictinaetus malayenis), kestrels (Falco tinnunculus), hobbys (Falco subbuteo centralasiea), griffon vultures (Gyps himalayensis) and many more.

S.No	National Park	Area	Established in
1	Ramnagar Wildlife Sanctuary	31 sq kms	1981
2	Kishtwar High Altitude National Park	400 sq kms	4 February 1981
3	Surinsar Mansar Wildlife Sanctuary,	98 sq kms	10 April 1990
4	Dachigam	141 sq kms	1981
5	Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary	511 sq kms	1981
6	Gulmarg Biosphere Reserve	180 sq kms	1987
7	Hemis National Park	4400 sq kms	1981
8	Salim Ali National Park	9 sq kms	1986
9	Rajparian Wildlife Sanctuary	20 sq kms	Game reserve for hangul till 1948. Upgraded as wildlife sanctuary in 1981.

Ramnagar Wildlife Sanctuary

Situated only 6 Km away from Jammu city, this sanctuary occupies an area of 31 sq Km. The area sustains 8 mammal species including nilgai, wild boar, rhesus monkey and barking deer and 15 species of birds including. The best season for mammal viewing is September to March and for bird viewing March to May. Indian Mynah, blue rock pigeon, peafowl, red jungle fowl, jungle crow, golden oriole, white cheeked bulbul.

Kishtwar High Altitude National Park

This Park is 250 kms from Jammu and is interesting for the marked variations in topography and vegetation that occur here. Spread over an area of 400 sq kms the park contains 15 mammal species. The principal species being hangul, musk deer, markhor, goral Himalayan brown bear, langur, leopard, etc.

The area is characterised by marked variations in topography, climate and altitude as a result of which different types of forest vegetation occur. The principal tree species are Cedrus deodara, Pinus gerardiana, Pinus wallichiana, Quercus spp., Juglans regia, Ulmus spp., etc.

Fifty species of birds exist here and the main species are the Himalayan jungle crow, griffon vulture, bearded vulture, golden oriole, paradise flycatcher, white cheeked bulbul, Indian Mynah.

The sanctuary has an area of 33 sq km and has been named after nandni village located at a distance of 28 Kms from Jammu. On NH1A. There are about eight mammal species in the area. The main species are leopard, wild boar, rhesus monkey, garal, grey langur etc. The common birds are Indian mynah, blue rock pigeon, peafowl, red jungle fowl, chir pheasants, chakor etc.

Surinsar Mansar Wildlife Sanctuary

Named for the two lakes on each corner of it, this sanctuary 58 kms from Jammu, comprises an area of 98 sq km and supports a mammal population of 8 species and 15 species of birds.

The mixed scrub forest comprises mainly of broad level species are Acacia spp., Mallotus phillipensis, dalbergia sissii, ficus religiosa, bahunia variegata. There are eight species viz. Goral, wild boar, barking deer, leopard. There is multitude of birds viz., black partridge, red jungle fowl, peafowl, grey partridge, green pigeon, blue rock pigeon, rufus turtle dove.

Sixty Five kms Jammu Spread over an area of 10 sq km the sanctuary houses an appreciable variety of birds as well as animal life, most notably cheetal or axis deer. This is located right on the banks of river Ujh, nothwards of village Jasrota. The entire area mainly sustains Bamboo Plantations.

Other broad leaved species are Acacia Catechu A. Arabica, Dalbergia Sissoo, Lanmea Grandis etc. The main shrubs are Latana camara, Carisa spinarum, Dodonea Visacosa.

Dachigam

Dachigam is a wildlife sanctuary which is home to the endangered Hangul species of the Deer in the country. It has an area of 141 sq kms. Dachigam is also host to other wildlife of the UT viz. Black/ Brown Bear, Musk Deer, leopards and migratory birds. There is a Trout fish farm also in Dachigam. It is big natural reserve which requires permissions from the Wildlife Authorities for exploration. The dense forests of Dachigam offer a brilliant view along with a Glacier fed rivulet flowing right through the middle. It is 32 kms from Srinagar and 215 kms from Jammu.

There are over fifty species of tress, twenty of shrubs and five hundred species of herbs. The principal tree species are Pinus griffithii, Abies pindrow, Juglans regia, Morus alba, Betula utilis, Salix spp., Populus spp., Prunus armeniaca, Corylus colurna, Quercus robur, Ulmus wallichiana, Aesculus indica, etc. Shrubd include Berberis spp., Desmodium tiliaefolium, Parrotiopsis jacquemontinana, Indigoferaheterantha etc.

Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary

The Sanctuary is situated about 76 kms from Srinagar in the south-east and located near Phalgam. The area is home to a number of rare, threatened and protected species of birds and mammals.

The Overa Wildlife Sanctuary is richly covered with a variety of floral complexes which comprises mainly of conifers. This area houses a variety of mammals most of which are faced with the serious threat of extinction. They are the hangul, musk deer, serow, rhesus macaque, langur, leopard, leopard cat, etc. The area as distinct from the other wildlife reservers of the valley holds a rich assemblage of pheasants like the chukar, koklas, monal and Himalayan snow cock. Other avifauna include the jungle crow, red billed chough, griffon vulture, beared vulture, Himalayan whistling thrush, rufous-backed shrike, Indian mynah, etc.

Gulmarg Biosphere Reserve

The area is located at a distance of 48 kms from Srinagar to its south-west. The area holds a rich cover of vegetation, the dominant forest consisting of conifers which account gor over 90%. Nature has gifted this Biosphere Reserve with multiple species of rare, endangered and protected species. The main species are hangul, musk deer, serow, brown bear, Leopard, black bear and red fox etc.

The area houses a good population of pheasants and upland birds apart from other species, both resident and migratory. The common birds are griffon valture, monal, snow cock, koklas, blue rock pigeon, Kashmir roller, European hoopoe, jungle crow etc.

Hemis National Park 

Aalso known as Hemis High Altitude National Park, is a high altitude national park in the Indian region of Ladakh. It is known all over the world for having the highest density of snow leopards of any protected area. 

 It is the second largest continuous protected area in India, after Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve. It is India's only national park north of the Himalayas. The park is bordered on the north by the Indus River's banks, and it encompasses the catchments of Markha, Sumdah and Rumbak. The park takes its name from the Hemis Gompa, a well-known Buddhist monastery 40 kilometres south of Leh. The park was established in 1981 to protect the Rumbak and Markha catchments, which cover approximately 600 km2. In 1987, the park was officially designated as a national park. By incorporating neighbouring lands, it grew to around 3,350 km2 in 1988. In 1990, it increased to 4,400 sq km. In the Rumbak and Markha valleys, Hemis has a population of about 400 people who live in nine villages. The villages are situated on or near valley floors up to a height of 4,000 metres. The locals are mostly Buddhists, and Markha Village also has a monastery. The Hemis Gompa, which inspired the park's name, is Ladakh's largest and wealthiest monastery, located just outside Shang's northern border. Chang-Chub-Sam-Ling, which means "place of compassion," is another name for the Hemis gompa. Snow Leopard is a project dedicated to preserving the entire Himalayan biosphere. The department began working on the project in 2004 and it was officially launched on February 20, 2009.

The Karakoram-West Tibetan Plateau, which includes dense pine forests, alpine shrubs, and vast meadows, is home to Hemis National Park. 

Salim Ali National Park

Salim Ali National Park is a beautiful place, located in the Srinagar. The total area of this national park is about 9 sq km and it was named in the honour of Salim Ali. The Salim Ali National Park was named so officially in the year 1986. 

Mangrove shrubberies comprise of the main flora in the Salim Ali National Park, which happens to be haven for bird watchers and tourists alike. Here, visitors are likely to sight diverse varieties of avian species that fly in from near and far.

Rajparian Wildlife Sanctuary

Rajparian Wildlife Sanctuary which is also Daksum Wildlife Sanctuary located in Anantnag District of Jammu and Kashmir and it is the abode of many birds and animals. It is located at about 85 kilometres south of Srinagar District of Jammu and Kashmir. Rajparian Wildlife Sanctuary spreads over an area of 20 square kilometres. Rajparian Wildlife Sanctuary was protected as a game reserve for hangul during the Maharaja’s period, prior to 1948. In 1981, it was upgraded to the Rajparian Wildlife Sanctuary. The administrative and technical control vests with the Wildlife Warden, South Kashmir Division (Bijbehara) of Wildlife Protection Department Jammu and Kashmir Government. The Wildlife Protection Department is empowered with Jammu & Kashmir Wildlife Protection Act 1978 amended up to 2002, to carry out its obligations and responsibilities.

Flora and Fauna: The vegetation types present in the Rajparian Wildlife Sanctuary include dense coniferous forests and sub-alpine pastures. In dense coniferous forests, kail pine, spruce, fir, birch, deodar and juniper trees are predominant. Rajparian Wildlife Sanctuary is abode to many species of animals including the Himalayan black bear, hangul, and musk deer. A number of species of wild birds are also found in the sanctuary. This type of vegetation is mainly confined to the side of tributaries of the Rajparian Nala near the Daksum up to Khatan Pathri. Some principally broad leaved genera such as Aesculus indica, Juglanus regia, Rubinia, Morus, Quercus incana, Rhus succedanea, Celtis cavacasica, Prunus persica, Ulmus wallachiama, Corylus colourna, Padus cornuta etc. The shrubs dominating the ground cover include Parrotiopsis jacqumentiana, Rosa species interspersed with Viburnum, Berberies species, Rubus, Aesculus indicus, Lonicera and Indigofera species, Demodeum, Jasmine and Isodon too are existing in the area

Disturbances for Rajparian Wildlife Sanctuary: In 1970, the Government of Kashmir constructed a sheep breeding farm on 1300 hectares of prime wintering area of the now critically endangered hangul. This sheep breeding farm is believed to have had an adverse effect on the movement of hangul in this area. Besides, the sanctuary has also been disturbed due to excessive grazing by the livestock of non-local Bakarwals.