Himalayan red fox's subspecies spotted in Uttarakhand
What's the story
A subspecies of the Himalayan red fox was spotted in Pithoragarh at a height of 3,000 meters, officials said on Wednesday.
"The variety, called Vulpes Vulpes griffithi, was seen in Munsiyari's Bhujani and Khaliya Top areas at an elevation of 3,000 meters, 500 meters below altitude, where its habitat is located, for the first time in recent years," said Surendra Panwar, President, Monal NGO.
Information
Have seen eight red fox subspecies at such elevation: Panwar
Monal NGO has been working toward the protection of upper-range Himalayan animals for around 10 years. "We have seen at least eight subspecies of the red fox at such an elevation in the Himalayan region after following it fruitlessly for two years," he said.
Natural habitat
Disturbance in their natural habitats probably made them descend
Asked about the reasons behind the increased visibility of these otherwise shy animals at lower altitudes, Panwar said, "It could be due to disturbance in their natural habitats."
"The animals may have started coming down closer to human settlements to survive on the Himalayan leftovers," he said.
"There are different reasons for high altitude animal habitats getting disturbed," he said.
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Various factors lead to disturbance of animal habitats
"Reasons for high altitude animal habitats getting disturbed includes the entry of people to collect Kira Jari (sildenafil) or Yarsagumba (caterpillar fungus), some climate change patterns and lessening of their prey base due to interference of human beings," Panwar said.
Awareness campaign
Some officials attribute the sighting to prolonged conservation efforts
However, Pithoragarh Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Vinay Bhargava attributed the spotting of rare high Himalayan animals like Vulpes Vulpes griffithi and flocks of Monal birds to prolonged conservation efforts.
"Due to our awareness campaign for the protection of these rare animals, the number of flocks and herds of some rare Himalayan animals has increased," he said.