Type: Species

Proposals for tourism and port development in the Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) Islands has left conservationists worried over the fate of some of the most important nesting populations of the Giant Leatherback turtle.

What is the news?

• There is concern that at least three key nesting beaches — two on Little Andaman Island and one on Great Nicobar Island — are under threat due to mega “development” plans announced in recent months.
• These include NITI Aayog’s ambitious tourism vision for Little Andaman and the proposal for a mega-shipment port at Galathea Bay on Great Nicobar Island.

Giant Leatherback Turtle

IUCN status: Vulnerable

• The largest of the seven species of sea turtles on the planet and also the most long-ranging, Leatherbacks are found in all oceans except the Arctic and the Antarctic.
• Within the Indian Ocean, they nest only in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the A&N Islands.
• They are also listed in Schedule I of India’s Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, according it the highest legal protection.
• The population in A&N Islands is among the most important colonies of the Leatherback globally.

About Galathea Bay

• The Galathea Bay is adjacent to Galathea National Park in Great Nicobar Island.
• It was earlier proposed as a wildlife sanctuary in 1997 for the protection of turtles and was also the site of a long-term monitoring programme.
• The monitoring was stopped after the tsunami devastation of 2004, but it provided the first systematic evidence of numbers and importance of these beaches.

A Himalayan Serow has been sighted for the first time in the Himalayan cold desert region.

Try this MCQ:

Q.In which one of the following State, the Rupi Bhaba Wildlife Sanctuary is located?

(a) Himachal Pradesh

(b) Manipur

(c) Meghalaya

(d) Uttarakhand

Himalayan Serow

• Himalayan Serow resembles a cross between a goat, a donkey, a cow, and a pig.
• They are herbivores and are typically found at altitudes between 2,000 metres and 4,000 metres (6,500 to 13,000 feet).
• They are known to be found in eastern, central, and western Himalayas, but not in the Trans Himalayan region.
• They are a medium-sized mammal with a large head, thick neck, short limbs, long, mule-like ears, and a coat of dark hair.
• There are several species of Serow s, and all of them are found in Asia.

Its’ conservation status

• According to the IUCN, Himalayan Serow s have experienced significant declines in population size, range size and habitat in the last decade, and this is expected to continue due to intensive human impact.
• Previously assessed as ‘near threatened’, the Himalayan Serow is now been categorised as ‘vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
• It is listed under Schedule I of The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which provides absolute protection.

What is so unusual this time?

• The animal was spotted by locals and wildlife officials at a riverside rocky wall near Hurling village in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh.
• This is the first recorded human sighting of the Serow in Himachal Pradesh.
• Serow s are generally not found at this altitude, and never before has a Serow been seen in the Himalayan cold desert.
• Wildlife officials believe this particular animal may have strayed into the Spiti valley from the Rupi Bhaba Wildlife Sanctuary in adjoining Kinnaur.