IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Ganguli-Lachungpa, U. | |
| Dead snow leopard Uncia uncia at Yabuk, Dongkung (5500 m) in north Sikkim | |
| 1999 Manuscript | |
Snow leopard Uncia uncia is protected in Schedule of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 as amended up to 1998. There are almost no recent sight records of this rare big cat from Sikkim, the last being a cub from Sebu La region in Lashar valley, north Sikkim. The male cub 'Shebu' survived for less than a year in captivity in Gangtok in 1993-1994. There has been no study so far on its present status in Sikkim. On 18 November, 1998, a Tibetan grazier or 'Dokpa' was attracted by a hovering raven while grazing his yaks at Yabuk (c. 5500m), a rocky place about two km above Dongkung at the foot of Chomiomo peak on the Chho Lhamo Plateau. Upon investigating, he saw what he thought was a sleeping, probably sick snow leopard in the grass at the base of some large boulders. Sensing something was wrong, he drove away the raven and went closer. He found it was an adult male snow leopard dead in sleeping posture. The spot was very isolated and intending to return the next day to collect the specimen to bring down to me in Gangtok, he went back to his camp. Unfortunately the next day, feral dogs had discovered the carcass. Most of the softer portions, the internal organs and the ribs had been eaten away. The grazier collected the remains. Almost in the same sleeping posture, most of the carcass except the head and shoulders dried naturally in the cold of this desert area. Six months late on 16 May 1999, he brought the remains down to Gangtok in a highly decomposed state and deposited them in the Wildlife Circle of the Department of Forests, Environment& Wildlife. The heat accelerated putrefaction and we tried to save the specimen as much as possible by skinning. On examining the jaws of the snow leopard we saw that the upper left canine was missing, as was one incisor in the upper jaw. The other teeth were also worn out and yellow The claws were also blunt. The front pad in the pug measured 8.5 cm and the bind, 8 cm. The tail measured 92 cm and bad a diameter of c. 13 cm. The bones were buried in the ground to remove the tissue. They have not yet been measured. |
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