Exam Relevance

• UPSC GS-I: Himalayan Geography | Distribution of Wildlife and Vegetation
• UPSC GS-III: Biodiversity Conservation | Protected Areas | Human–Wildlife Interaction | Climate Change
• Prelims: Himalayan Tahr | Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary | Bugyals | IUCN Red List

Why in News?

The Kedarnath Wildlife Division in Uttarakhand is preparing to regulate human activity in alpine meadows and remove accumulated waste after a survey found that visitors and local residents were feeding Himalayan tahrs.

Food offerings and discarded waste are attracting the animals towards roads and settlements, altering their natural behaviour. The division also plans awareness programmes to discourage wildlife feeding. The exact restrictions and their implementation dates have not yet been specified.

What is the Himalayan Tahr?

The Himalayan tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus) is a large, wild, goat-like mammal adapted to steep Himalayan slopes.

The Great Himalayan National Park’s species account records its presence across a broad elevation range, with a preference for higher mountain habitats.

Important Adaptations

• Sexual dimorphism: Males are larger than females and have more prominent horns.
• Backward-curving horns: Both sexes possess horns, with smaller horns in females.
• Dense coat: Thick hair provides insulation against cold mountain conditions.
• Climbing ability: Specialised hooves help the animal move across steep, rocky surfaces.

Prelims point: Near Threatened is distinct from the IUCN’s three threatened categories—Vulnerable, Endangered and Critically Endangered.

Why is Feeding Wild Animals Harmful?

1. Changes Natural Foraging Behaviour

Repeated feeding can encourage animals to seek food from people instead of finding it within their natural habitat.

This process is called food conditioning: animals learn to associate people, vehicles or particular locations with food.

2. Reduces Avoidance of Humans

Frequent exposure can make animals less cautious around people. This is known as habituation.

Food conditioning and habituation can occur together, but they describe different behavioural changes.

3. Creates Health and Safety Risks

Human food may be unsuitable for wildlife. Food scraps and unsecured rubbish can also attract animals to places where they face vehicles, crowds and other dangers.

Thus, careless waste disposal can have effects similar to deliberate feeding. These are recognised wildlife-management risks; they should not all be treated as impacts already documented in Kedarnath’s tahr population.

What are the Key Facts About Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary?

The sanctuary contains a wide range of habitats, from lower-elevation forests to subalpine vegetation and alpine meadows. It is one of Uttarakhand’s largest protected areas.

Vegetation and Wildlife

• Vegetation: Pine forests at suitable lower elevations, oak-dominated temperate forests, subalpine forests and alpine meadows.
• Notable wildlife: Musk deer, Himalayan tahr, Himalayan black bear and snow leopard.
• Bird diversity: Himalayan monal, koklass pheasant and other Himalayan birds.

The sanctuary’s considerable variation in elevation supports different ecological communities within a single protected landscape.

What are Bugyals?

Bugyals are high-altitude alpine meadows, particularly associated with Uttarakhand. They support grasses, herbs and seasonal flowering plants.

For wildlife such as the Himalayan tahr, they provide important feeding habitats. Their conservation requires attention to visitor movement, waste disposal, vegetation damage and other local pressures.

The proposed regulation of activity in these meadows aims to reduce disturbance within the tahr’s natural habitat.

What are the Wider Conservation Challenges?

• Habitat disturbance: Roads, settlements and poorly managed visitor activity can disrupt wildlife movement.
• Food and waste availability: Human-provided food can repeatedly draw animals into risky locations.
• Hunting and habitat loss: These remain recognised concerns for the species.
• Climate change: Changes in snow cover and vegetation may affect the availability and seasonal distribution of suitable mountain habitat.
• Livelihood considerations: Conservation measures need cooperation from residents, tourism operators and other people using the landscape.

The Himalayan tahr’s conservation therefore requires both species protection and management of the surrounding habitat.

What Should Be the Way Forward?

1. Discourage wildlife feeding: Place clear signs at trails, roadside stops and visitor facilities, supported by awareness programmes.
2. Improve waste management: Secure food waste, collect rubbish regularly and ensure its removal from sensitive habitats.
3. Regulate sensitive areas: Use ecological assessments to guide visitor access, designated trails and seasonal restrictions where necessary.
4. Monitor animal behaviour: Track whether tahrs return to natural feeding areas after food and waste sources are removed.
5. Involve local communities: Engage guides, residents and businesses in conservation and responsible tourism.
6. Protect habitat connectivity: Maintain routes that allow wildlife to move between suitable seasonal habitats.

Mains Practice Question — 150 words

“Wildlife conservation requires managing human behaviour as much as protecting animal habitats.” Discuss with reference to the Himalayan tahr in Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary.