Limited gene flow between two Bengal tiger populations in the western Himalayan foothills

Connectivity could be maintained by relocating villages, and banning sand and boulder mines 

Date: April 26, 2017
Source: PLOS

 
The flow of genes between Bengal tigers in two reserves of the Terai Arc Landscape in western Himalayan foothills is too low, according to a study published April 26, 2017 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Surendra Prakash Goyal from Wildlife Institute of India, India, and colleagues.

Tigers are endangered partly due to habitat loss, which can fragment populations and reduce gene flow among them. Gene flow between populations can maintain genetic variation and spread beneficial gene alleles, so understanding the gene flow of isolated tiger populations i.e. in western Himalayan foothills is crucial in developing management strategies for conserving these big cats. Goyal and colleagues analyzed DNA from 71 samples of tissue, blood or scat from Bengal tigers to assess their gene flow in an 1,800-square-kilometer region of the western Himalayan foothills. The region has two main subpopulations of tigers, one in the Rajaji Tiger Reserve and the other in the Corbett Tiger Reserve.

 

CONTINUED  

Does the yeti exist? Scientists use DNA evidence in bid to solve mystery of the abominable snowman

Juliet Eysenck 

30 MAY 2016 • 10:13AM

It is one of the world's greatest enduring mysteries. Stories of a yeti, or an abominable snowman, have been entrenched in Himalayan folklore for hundreds of years - but there has never been any definitive proof of its existence.

Now, a team of leading international scientists will use advanced DNA analysis to determine whether there is a rational explanation behind the theories.

And there have been many theories put forward - that the yeti is a man, a beast or simply a myth - but little scientific evidence to back up any of these claims.

A new Channel 4 programme, Yeti: Myth, Man or Beast?, follows a team of geneticists led by Mark Evans as they test DNA evidence that has been linked to the creature.

Ahead of the show, here's a look at everything we know about the yeti so far.

What is the yeti?

Tibetans refer to the yeti as 'miché' – which translates loosely as 'man-bear'. They also use the term 'mirka' – which loosely boils down to 'wild man'.

In China, the yeti is known as 'yeren' or 'wild man'. Other names that the yeti goes by include Almas (Mongolia), Batutut (Vietnam), Bigfoot (North america), Yowie (Australia) and Fear liath (Scotland).

In all cases, the creature is some form of man, beast or hybrid of the two, that lives in the mountains.

Read on … 

Sneezing monkeys and walking fish among 200 new Himalayan species discovered - via Mike Playfair

The region’s rich diversity is largely down to a landscape of steep mountains and valleys

Tom bawden Environment Editor 

Monday 5 October 2015 00:09 BST

A snub-nosed monkey that sneezes when it rains, a walking fish and a jewel-like snake are among more than 200 new species discovered in the eastern Himalayas, according to a new report.

It reveals that 133 new species of plants, 39 invertebrates, 26 fish and 10 amphibians have been found there since 2009 – a scale of discovery which confirms the region, spanning Bhutan, north-east India, Nepal, north Burma and southern Tibet, as among the most biologically diverse in the world.

One new bird – the spotted wren-babbler – was also discovered in the region over the period, as well as one reptile and one mammal species – bringing the total new species discovered in the region in the past 15 years to 550.

The discoveries also include three new species of wild bananas, including the Musa markkui, named after the renowned banana scientist Markku Hakkinen, and Leptobrachuium Bompu, a frog with a striking greyish-blue iris and a black pupil.

The region’s rich diversity – one in 10 of the world’s bird species lives there – is largely down to a landscape of steep mountains and valleys. This has created isolated habitats with many species that are unique to the area, according to the wildlife charity WWF which produced the report.

However, climate change and intensive development is destroying the region’s eco-systems at an alarming level, with only a quarter of its original habitats remaining fully intact, the report said.

“These new discoveries show that there is still a huge amount to learn about the species that share our world. It is a stark reminder that if we don’t act now to protect these fragile eco-systems, untold natural riches could be lost forever,” said WWF-UK’s chief adviser of species Heather Sohl.

Continued ...

Musk deer leaving habitat

MYAGDI: Rising temperature and human activities are forcing the musk deer in the Himalayan region of Myagdi to leave their habitat.

The jungles in Mudi, Lulang, Gurja, Kuimemangale, Dana and Muna VDCs, located on the lap of Mount Dhaulagiri were the traditional home lands of the musk deer.

Global warming as an effect of climate change in the Himalayan region and lack of favourable environment and food are leading the musk deer to leave their habitat, says Ranger at the District Forest Office, Chandra Mani Sapkota.

Regarded as extinct animal, musk deer are reportedly moving towards the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve and in the jungles of Dolpa, Rukum and Mustang districts.

Just two years ago, the musk deer could be seen near the human settlements but now, one needs to travel up to the Himalayan region to get a glimpse of them, according to Ranger Sapkota.

Source

New species of snake Himalayanus discovered in Himalayas

08-MAY-2014

Jagran Josh recommends this article for

Bank Exams, MBA Entrance Exams, Civil Services Exam, SSC Exams

Suggested Readings: May 2014 Current Affairs, 2014 Current Affairs, Environment | Ecology

Who: snake named Himalayanus

Where: Himalayas

What: discovered by Chinese scientists

A new species of brownish pit viper, Himalayanus was discovered by the Chinese scientists. The genetic analysis identified Protobothrops himalayanus as new species of snake. The discovery was published in Asian Herpetological Research.

It was first spotted at Jilong valley in Southern Tibet Autonomous Region in 2012. It was named Himalayanus in honour of its home Himalayas. The local people called the snake as the holy region of the Himalayas.

Continued

Majestic New Cat Species Discovered In Nepal

Researchers studying snow leopard populations high in the Himalayas have announced the accidental discovery of a cat previously unknown to Nepal -- a majestic little cat that's at home in the highest mountain range on Earth.

The small feline, about the same size as a domestic house cat, was caught on film by various camera traps between 13,000 and 15,000 feet above sea level. On 11 occasions between 2012 and 2013, the cat was spotted prowling the rocky mountainside at night in search of food.

Continued

Himalayan heights pose no problem for bees

Alpine bumblebees can hover at air pressures equivalent to 9,000-metre altitudes.

Daniel Cossins

05 February 2014

Bumblebees have been observed foraging as high as 5,600 metres, but they can cope with the low air pressure at much higher elevations.

Alpine bumblebees can hover happily in pressure conditions equivalent to an altitude of 9,000 metres — higher than the peak of Mount Everest. They manage this mountainous feat by beating their wings in broader strokes, a laboratory study has found. Although there is no food to be harvested on Himalayan peaks, the bees' adaptable flight might help them to escape predators elsewhere, the authors suggest.

Continued

Snow leopard photographed in India’s Kugti Wildlife Sanctuary for the first time

Snow leopard study in India

January 2013. The Wildlife Trust of India have recently published the first photographic proof that snow leopard inhabit Kugti Wildlife Sanctuary in India's Himachal Pradesh region.

Very little specific information exists on the snow leopard distribution and population in India. Rough estimates put the population at 400-600 along the Himalayan region in India, and about 4080 - 6590 across the world (12 countries where it is found).

The snow leopard in Kugti WLS was sighted dragging its kill (a young ibex) by researchers - Neeraj Mahar and Sajid Idrisi, during a WTI survey in 2010 to help the Forest Department prepare an inventory of the area's wildlife. It was recorded at an altitude of 3376 metres.

Permanent or temporary residents?

"While this opportunistic sighting by our team established snow leopard presence in Kugti, it raised a number of questions. Is Kugti WLS and nearby protected areas a snow leopard habitat? Or do they follow the prey to lower altitudes during winter, possibly from Lahaul or other nearby areas? This can only be verified with further focused studies," said Dr Rahul Kaul, Chief Ecologist, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), one of the authors of the recent study.

Five states, three in the western Himalayan region - Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and two in the north-eastern region - Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, are known to host snow leopards in India.

Snow leopard habitat
"Snow leopards inhabit the non-forested zone above the tree line - around 3,200 metres in the western Himalayas and around 4,200 metres in the eastern Himalayas, going over the Greater Himalayan crest into the Trans Himalayan region," explained Dr Yash Veer Bhatnagar of the Snow Leopard Trust and Nature Conservation Foundation, adding that the common leopards are ‘replaced' by snow leopards in these areas.

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/india-snow-leopard.html

Sneaky Cat Caught on Camera in Himalayas

Picture:  WWF

An elusive thick-furred feline has been caught on camera for the first time in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan.

A camera trap captured images of the fluffy Pallas's cat, also known as the manul, in the country's sprawling Wangchuck Centennial Park (WCP), which is also home to the snow leopard and Himalayan black bear. Pallas's cats had never been documented in the region before, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

"This is an exciting and remarkable discovery that proves that the Pallas's cat exists in the Eastern Himalayas," Rinjan Shrestha, a conservation scientist with WWF, said in a statement. "This probably indicates a relatively undisturbed habitat, which gives us hope, not only for the Pallas's cat, but also the snow leopard, Tibetan wolf and other threatened species that inhabit the region".

Read on:  http://www.livescience.com/24369-sneaky-cat-caught-on-camera-in-himalayas.html

Eagle brings down paraglider over Himalayas

Incredible footage from a helmet camera shows the moment two eagles attacked a paraglider over the Himalayas only for one to become tangled in the cables, causing both bird and man to come crashing down to earth.

Vladimir Tsar'kov was paragliding over the Indian Himalayas when the two birds of prey swooped, one flying below him and the other continuing up into his parachute and becoming entangled.

With his chute rendered ineffective, the 25-year-old Russian was forced to deploy his reserve parachute as he struggled to regain a modicum of control and began to plummet to the ground.

Fortunately the experienced thrillseeker had the skill to bring himself down in a clearing, although he did not come to a complete halt until he had been dragged him through some uncomfortable looking undergrowth.

After confirming his own wellbeing, Mr Tsar'kov turned his attention to the still trapped eagle.

It took him nearly ten minutes to untangle the bird, which then flew off apparently unscathed.

The Himalayas are popular with paragliders and flights often take place close to the eagles, which gliders use to guide them to columns of warm air that help them soar higher.

Read on ...

Royal Bengal Tigers Get GPS Treatment, New Plans to Save the Endangered Species

BY Jenara Nerenberg
Fri Jan 28, 2011

Poachers beware--the World Wildlife Fund is armed with GPS tracking devices and far-reaching plans to help tigers re-produce.

Tigers in the Himalayas were a big issue this week, as a study co-authored by WWF scientists was published by Conservation Letters, detailing how the world's endangered tigers--many of which are in Nepal, Bhutan, and India--could triple with proper land management. News also came directly out of Nepal that it had successfully installed a GPS tracking kit on a Royal Bengal tiger and then transported the tiger from Chitwan National Park to Bardia National Park. The goal of the tracking is to place the tiger in a safer, breeding-friendly environment. (At right, WWF-US president and CEO Carter Roberts fits a GLOBALSTAR-3 satellite collar on the wild tiger 'Namobuddha' in preparation for translocation.)


"We have one of the highest densities of tigers. If our landscapes are properly managed, then our number of tigers can triple," WWF Nepal Conservation Program Director, Ghana Gurung, tells Fast Company. "We're committed to doubling our number of tigers by 2022."

The global tiger population has decreased from 100,000 to 3,200 in just a century, due to profit-seeking poachers as well as, in the case of Nepal, war-inflicted habitat destruction.

"Therefore, habitat management is essential," says Gurung. And the most important finding to come out of the study is that by preserving corridors that link breeding areas, tigers will more freely roam and breed.

If, however, they are confined to small areas--and areas that are disconnected from each other--the population begins to decrease.

Of course protecting those breeding grounds is also essential. Poachers throughout Asia hunt in search of high profits from sales to China for use in traditional Chinese medicine.

"We absolutely need to stop the bleeding, the poaching of tigers and their prey in core breeding areas," says co-author Eric Dinerstein, chief scientist at WWF. "But we need to go much further and secure larger tiger landscapes before it is too late."

Follow me, Jenara Nerenberg, on Twitter.

[Image: Carter Roberts, President and CEO, World Wildlife Fund, with Minister of Forest and Soil Conservation of Nepal, Deepak Bohara (standing, left), fitting a GPS plus GLOBALSTAR-3 satellite collar on the wild tiger 'Namobuddha' before it was translocated to Bardia National Park from Chitwan National Park, Nepal. Courtesy WWF/Min Bajracharya]

http://www.fastcompany.com/1721342/tigers-get-gps-treatment-and-increased-breeding-grounds-in-wwf-push-to-save-endangered-speci