A Himalayan serow, which looks somewhere between a goat and an antelope, has been spotted for the first time in Assam.
The Himalayan serow was spotted in the Manas Tiger Reserve on December 3 by a couple of guides.
“We have now confirmed the animal as the Himalayan serow, spotted close to the border with Bhutan in Manas’s Bansbari-Mathanguri forest. The sighting augurs well for the health of the tiger reserve,” Anindya Swargowari, additional principal chief conservator of forest for areas under the Bodoland Territorial Council, told The Hindu.
“There are chances of more faunal species, found in the higher reaches, being spotted in the park,” added Anindya Swargowari.
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He said the serow has been spotted for the first time in the tiger reserve or anywhere else in Assam, but “this does not mean the animal never visited our forests before”.
“The sightings of rare animals and birds in Manas is an outcome of better access to remote parts of the protected area where extremists and hunters once ruled,” added Anindya Swargowari.