Ladakh declares black-necked crane as state bird, snow leopard as state animal

After separation from Jammu and Kashmir in 2019, the union territory of Ladakh has announced its state bird and animal.

The Ladakh union territory administration has declared black-necked crane as its state bird.

On the other hand, snow leopard has been declared as the state animal by the Ladakh administration.

The Ladakh forest and environment department has issued a notification in this regard.

Black-necked cranes (Grus nigricollis) are the only alpine species of crane in the world, with an estimated population of around 13,500.

The cranes arrive in Ladakh around end-March to early-April, settling around the region’s high-altitude lakes, including Tso Kar, Hanle, and Pangong.

Meanwhile, the elusive snow leopard roams in the high valleys and across jagged mountains cliffs in Ladakh.

The Ladakh region is a high-altitude cold desert, where the snow leopard survives on a prey base of bharal (blue sheep), ibex and marmots.