Ladakh has adopted two endangered species, snow leopard and black-necked crane, as State animal and State bird, two years after it was carved out as a separate Union Territory (UT) from the erstwhile State of J&K.

Snow Leopard

• The snow leopard (Panther unica) and black-necked crane (Grus nicricollis).
• Snow leopard, whose numbers are dwindling worldwide, has been categorized as “vulnerable” in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.
• In total, there are about 7,500 snow leopards left in the world, out of which 500 are in India.
• However, experts state that the population of snow leopards is between 200-300 in Ladakh alone.

Black-necked Crane

• The black-necked crane is found in eastern Ladakh’s high-altitude wetlands and marshes.
• It is mostly listed as Near Threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list.
• Considered loyal couples, they are only found in Ladakh’s Changthang region. They arrive in March for breeding and migrate by October end or early November.
• It was the State bird of J&K before August 5, 2019.

About Ladakh

• Ladakh was established as a union territory of India on 31 October 2019, following the passage of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act.
• Prior to that, it was part of the Jammu and Kashmir state. Ladakh is the largest and the second least populous union territory of India.
• It extends from the Siachen Glacier in the Karakoram range to the north to the main Great Himalayas to the south.
• The eastern end, consisting of the uninhabited Aksai Chin plains, is claimed by the Indian Government as part of Ladakh and has been under Chinese control since 1962.
• The largest town in Ladakh is Leh, followed by Kargil, each of which headquarters is a district.
• The Leh district contains the Indus, Shyok and Nubra river valleys. The Kargil district contains the Suru, Dras and Zanskar river valleys.

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