Himachal to tag satellite collars on snow leopards

Shimla: They've been captured on camera. Wildlife officials now want to tag satellite collars on the elusive and highly endangered snow leopard in the steep and rocky cliffs of Himachal Pradesh's Spiti Valley, the country's first collaring attempt on this wildcat species.

The officials say radio collaring will assist them in learning more about the habitat, range and behaviour of the snow leopards.

"Radio collars will help in understanding the behavioural patterns of the snow leopard and the reasons for man-animal conflict," Chief Wildlife Warden SB Islam told IANS.

The state's wildlife department is already monitoring the snow leopards through cameras in the Spiti Valley, the state's northernmost part which borders Tibet.

The department, in partnership with Mysore-based Nature Conservation Foundation, has installed 60 camera traps (automatic cameras) in the valley. Islam said permission to install six radio collars was sought from the minister of environment and forests.