Richer by six

Pema — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 10:05:16 +0000

Bhutan Takin preserve officials said this was the highest number of births in nine years. Six-year-old Kinzang Lham did not turn up for break fast nor did she stick around with the rest of her herd. Her guardian, Kuenzang Gyeltshen was worried. He took a friend to look for Kinzang Lham, spotted her at a distance and watched her closely as she strode along the stream.

Judging by her motions, the caretaker was delighted. In another two hours, Kinzang Lham, a name given to a female Takin at the Motithang park on the way to Sangaygang, delivered a calf on February 21. Bhutan Takin preserve manager Kuenzang Gyeltshen said it was a healthy calf born at 8am. “When the females are about to deliver they remain aloof and become nervous,” he said.

The following day, Tenzin Dema, 6, and Chungkula, 42-month-old, gave birth to the last two calves. “It’s the highest number of births in nine years,” the manager said. “Last year, there were only two, including one also born on February 21.” Kinzang and Tenzin were brought in 2010 with a Takin bull, Samdrup from Jigme Dorji National Park in Gasa. Forest officials brought them in to improve the breed and restock the preserve, for the first time, as it had only six of the animal then.

The resident Takins had become vulnerable to diseases as they degenerated genetically from inbreeding. The national park in Gasa recorded 164 Takins last year. With the six newborns, there are now 22 Takins in the preserve. Of the 16 adults, eight are female. The manager said Samdrup, 10, was the father of all six calves as he is the most dominant bull of the herd. Takin calving season begins in February and ends in March. A takin has a life span of 12-15-years. Females start breeding from two and a half years.

Meanwhile, caretakers said the calves were growing healthy by the day. “If they’re not healthy or are going to die the mother abandons them after giving birth,” Kuenzang Gyeltshen said. “All of them are feeding well.” He said physical verification of the animals was difficult because they were wild. “We only know the sexes of two calves, both female,” he said. “Going near them for a closer look is risky as the mothers are very protective.”

The preserve established in 1975 also shelters 14 Sambars, two barking deer and a gorel, some of them rescued. The preserve has a minimum of 30 to 40 visitors, including tourists, every day, which increases on weekends.

Courtesy: Kuensel

Conservationists after ape like creature

Pema — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 09:45:34 +0000

Wildlife conservationists have set up 20 camera traps in north Pemagatshel over a 150-200 sq. km, with the hope of capturing an image of an ape like creature that was sighted last year in Zobel gewog.“It looked like a gorilla, it was black, huge and over five feet tall,” Sonam Dorji, a ferrosilicon employee who sighted the creature while driving from Tshilinghor and Yonglagoenpa, said. “I was startled but the ape like creature standing in the middle of road disappeared in the forest after a glance at me.”

Forest officials talked to the people of Zobel gewog and some confirmed of having seen such ape like creature in the area. The gewog has 400 households.

Special advisor to national environment commission Dasho Paljor J. Dorji, who was informed about the sighting through a social networking site, lead a team of wildlife experts to the area. “We reviewed the camera traps from January 25 to February 25 and so far have not found any evidence of the ape like creatures’ presence,” Dasho Paljor said.

Instead the camera traps had captured lots of other wild animals living in the same region. Some of the wild animals captured were leopard, serow, wild dogs, wild pigs and different bird species.

“This study was like a wild goose chase but we will carry out a biodiversity expedition in the area soon and also set up the 20 camera traps, far from human settlement,” Dasho Paljor said. Earlier the camera traps were set up at Tshilinghor and Melongbrak area in north Pemagatshel about 2-3 km away from human settlement.

A researcher with the Ugyen Wangchuck Institute of Conservation and Environment (UWICE), Bird Sherub, who set up the camera traps said, it cost USD 500 for each camera trap and it was all done through support from UWICE and wildlife conservation division (WCD). “Apart from Assamese macques and caped langur, we didn’t find any ape like creature so far,” he said.

But there were lessons learnt about camera trapping such as location for camera traps, need for better batteries and higher memory. “The good thing is although most people in the area had knew about the camera traps locations, there were no disturbance to it.”

Plan for future study in the area also include use of better camera traps with funds to be proposed to government and other non-government organizations such as Bhutan Trust Fund. Present camera traps will also be set up in different locations for the study.

Courtesy: Kuensel

Photo courtesy: UWICE

Yak Adventure Travel » Flora & Fauna

Richer by six

Conservationists after ape like creature