| December 25, 2011:(Thimphu) Forest officials have recently sighted rare bird and mammal species - a Ruddy Shelduck in Ura, a Gaur in Dangchu and a Takin in Thrumshingla National Park (TNP) - not seen earlier in these areas. The Ruddy Shelduck frequented Ura Valley but for over a decade the duck stopped coming and the cause is still unknown. “But last month the students of Ura Middle Secondary School spotted a lone female duck and kept it in a small pond managed by the nature club of the school,” said the Chief Forestry Officer of TNP, Ratu Wangchuk. The duck (Tadorna ferruginea) is a member of the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae. It is protected under the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Water Birds Agreement (AEWA). On November 21, a team from Wildlife Conservation Division (WCD) visited Dangchu in Wangduephodrang to verify the new sighting of Gaur (Bos gaurus gaurus) - the two Gaurs were first spotted on November 10. Gaur belongs to Bovidae family and of the three- subspecies recognized - B.gaurus gaurus, B. gaurus readei and B. gaurus hubackii, the first inhabits in Bhutan, India (South-West, Central and North-East) and Bangladesh. Their population in Bhutan is believed to be shared with Bengal (North-West regions), Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Their sightings were previously reported from the lowlands of Southern Bhutan (Royal Manas National Park, Phibsoo and Khaling Wildlife Sanctuaries) with elevation recorded at 1,500 meters. The report also states that the recent sighting of this animal in the forested areas of Dangchu has raised the elevation range of its distribution in Bhutan to 2,390 meters and beyond. Further similar reports have come from roadside workers, who claim to have sighted a solitary animal in the summer of 2011 in Pelela and other areas. The team confirmed one of the Gaur to be a matured bull while for the second confirmation is still awaited. The second could be a cow which if true would kindle hope for science to rejuvenate their population in that area. Locals speculate that the animals could have moved into their area from Dhur Tshachu, a remote area in Northern Bumthang. However, the probability that the animals have moved up the valleys from the lowlands of Royal Manas National Park or Phipsoo Wildlife Sanctuary is high. Despite people’s claim of having seen these animals in other parts of the country, evidential observations are too few at the moment to draw any definite conclusion thus strongly recommending long term study. Another sighting was of the Takin Budorcas taxicolor whitei at TNP. WDC and TNP are carrying out an in depth study on the distribution of important and charismatic species (like tiger) inside the park. The study is divided into several phases with the first one focused in the Northern Region where several camera traps have been set up along three randomly selected trails - Thrumshingla to Wangthangla, Shingkhar to Zhongmay and Tang to Ungar. While monitoring the footage recorded in camera traps along the Tang to Ungar transect, Takin was one of the many important species captured by the cameras, making it the first photographed documentation of Takin in TNP, which eventually increased the list of park’s mammal listing from 69 to 70 species. Takin is categorized as vulnerable by IUCN and listed under Schedule I, Forest and Nature Conservation Act 1995. The other wildlife species documented in the camera traps in three months period include Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens), Himalayan Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus), and Himalayan Serow (Capricornis thar). Footage of many ungulate species such as Sambhar, Barking Deer, Wild Dog, Wild Pig, Red Fox and Himalayan Crestless Porcupine were captured by the cameras, which indicate that a healthy population of prey thrives in the area. Blood Pheasant, Kalij Pheasant and Black-Faced Laughing Thrush were in the footage. The park would continue to monitor the movement of these species through intensive use of camera traps with support from WCD. “At some point of time, we hope to capture tiger and other species of importance which could not be encountered with the present effort,” said the Chief Forest Officer with WCD, Sonam Wangchuk. |
