Rare Himalayan Serow Sighted in Himalayan Region

The rare Himalayan serow, a goat antelope, has been sighted and captured by the state wildlife wing in the Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh for the first time. It was spotted at Hurling village in Spiti valley.  This is the first time Serow has been sighted by in Himachal Pradesh. Serows are usually not found at this altitude. Also, it has never been sighted in the Himalayan cold desert.

Himalayan Serow

• Himalayan Serow looks like a goat, a donkey, a cow, and a pig.
• They are herbivores animals.
• The Serows are usually found at the altitudes between 2,000 metres and 4,000 metres.
• They are found in the eastern, central, and western Himalayas.
• The species are a medium-sized mammal having a large head and a thick neck.
• They have short limbs and mule-like ears.
• Their body comprise of a coat of dark hair.
• All the species of serow are found in Asia.
• The species are extremely shy in nature.
• They are inhabitant of dense forests.

Status

The Himalayan Serow have gone through the significant declines in its population size, range size and habitat in past decade. As per the report of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the population of the species would further decline because of intensive human impact. Earlier, the IUCN has listed the serow in ‘near threatened’ category. However, the Himalayan Serow has now been categorised under the ‘vulnerable’ category in Red List of Threatened Species by IUCN.

Protection

It has been given protection under Schedule I of The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.