Uttarakhand to set up snow leopard conservation centre

Uttarakhand will soon have a snow leopard conservation centre . The conservation centre will be set up in Uttarkashi forest division area. The snow leopard conservation centre will be set up to promote winter tourism in the state.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat held a meeting regarding the same with Forest Minister Dr Harak Singh Rawat and officials of the Forest Department.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister said that the total number of snow leopards should be counted in the state and special efforts should be made to preserve and increase the number of snow leopards.

Key Highlights 

• The Chief Minister stated that the areas where snow leopards  have been seen in the last few years should be identified by the forest department with the cooperation of local people and military forces.  The areas will be calculated by making grids. 

• The conservation of snow leopards and other wildlife will help promote winter tourism in the state.

• The Uttarakhand CM highlighted that there are many wildlife species in the mountainous regions of Uttarakhand, which are a centre of attraction for tourists.

• Rawat also stressed on the need to conserve the extinct species of wildlife.

Background 

Snow leopards have been seen in large numbers in Uttarkashi and Pithoragarh districts. However, they have not been counted yet. 

Roughly, there are around 86 snow leopards in Uttarakhand, as per on various researches. Overall, the number of wildlife has increased in the higher Himalayan regions, in the last few years .