The Ladakh union territory administration has declared black-necked crane as its state bird and snow leopard as its state animal.

A notification in this regard was issued Tuesday by the principal secretary forest, ecology and environment, Pawan Kotwal.

The official notification read, "The Lieutenant Governor of Union Territory of Ladakh is pleased to declare snow leopard (Panther unica) and black–necked crane (Grus nicricollis) as state animal and state bird, respectively, of the union territory of Ladakh from the date of issue of this notification.

Black-necked cranes (Grus nigricollis) are the only alpine species of crane in the world. The estimated population of the black-necked crane is between 8800 and 11000 individuals. These birds are legally protected in China, India and Bhutan.

Classified as one of the 15 critically endangered species of birds in India, the "Black-Necked Crane" is a tall bird with a height of about 1.35 m, a wingspan of about 2-2.5m, and weighs about 6-8 kg with a bright red crown on the head.

The cranes arrive in Ladakh around end-March to early-April, settling around the region’s high-altitude lakes, including Tso Kar, Hanle, and Pangong.

For the unversed, people in Ladakh believe that a sighting of the Black-Necked Crane portends good luck. For residents of Ladakh, the Black-Necked Crane is held in high regard. Its mating dance is an important part of every cultural program and festival, and many monasteries feature paintings of the crane alongside other spiritual art.

Meanwhile, the elusive snow leopard roams in the high valleys and across jagged mountains cliffs in Ladakh. The Ladakh region is a high-altitude cold desert, where the snow leopard survives on a prey base of bharal (blue sheep), ibex and marmots.

Here it needs to be mentioned that on October 7, 2013, it was for the first time a Black-necked Crane, the state bird of J&K has been fitted with satellite transmitters in the Ladakh region. In India, eastern Ladakh is the only known breeding ground for Black-necked crane outside China.

The mountainous region of the western and eastern Himalayas is the habitat of snow leopards in India. They are primarily found in Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.

According to official figures, there are about 7,500 snow leopards left in the world, 500 of which are in India. The high-altitude cold desert of Ladakh is home to about half of them.

In India, the geographical range of snow leopard encompasses a large part of the western Himalayas including the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in the eastern Himalayas.

It is pertinent to mention that Hangul was the state animal of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir which was also comprised of Ladakh.

Image source-Firstpost