Research Projects

The 3 selected ungulates- Serow, Goral require urgent conservation measures. The Himalayan Serow is a goat-antelope native to the eastern Himalayas and eastern and south-eastern Bangladesh. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List because the population is considered to be declining due to habitat loss and hunting for its meat. The gorals are four species in the genus Nemorhaedus or Naemorheds They are small ungulates with a goat-like or antelope-like appearance. It is listed as near-threatened in the IUCN Red List. The Himalayan Tahr is a large even-toed ungulate native to the Himalayas in southern Tibet, northern Pakistan, northern India, and Nepal. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, in which the population is declining due to hunting and habitat loss. The present proposed project is to study Ghoral and Serow in the State of Arunachal Pradesh. The project is for a period of 2 years & 6 months. It is a Desk-cum-Field Study. Desk work includes remote sensing and GIS work, collecting and collating information from existing records and data. Fieldwork entails systematic field surveys and sample collections and analysis of data for population monitoring techniques. Lab work involves molecular and disease-based work to understand the molecular status and health status of mountain ungulates.

Objective: i. To assess the population status of mountain ungulate community - Serow and Ghoral in representative sub-tropical and temperate Himalaya of Arunachal Pradesh. ii. To understand the abundance, habits relationship and health status of threatened mountain ungulates of Serow and Ghoral. iii. To develop a conservation action plan for mountain ungulates through securing habitats and conservation prioritization of populations.