Context:
Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has cleared key road stretches passing through the Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS).
Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS):
- Location – Easternmost parts of the Karakoram range (part of Northwestern Himalayas), in Ladakh.
- Bounded on North and West by international boundary with China and Pakistan respectively.
- Most part is semi-arid, characterized by a cold desert and heavy glaciation.
- Rivers – Nubra and Shyok.
- Fauna – Snow leopard, Eurasian lynx, Himalayan wolf, Tibetan antelope etc.
Tibetan Antelope:
- Locally named as Chiru
- A small antelope-like mammal
- Inhabits the high alpine steppes of the Tibetan Plateau.
- Diet and Predation – Feed on low alpine grasses, forbs, and shrubs, which may need to be excavated from under snow.
- Predators include wolves, snow leopards, and lynxes.
- Issue – Tibetan antelopes are hunted for their underfur.
- The underfur of Tibetan antelopes is called shahtoosh, which is used to weave luxury shawls.
- Conservation –
- IUCN status – Near Threatened
- Under the legal protection of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Source: The Indian Express
Previous Year Question
What is the difference between the antelopes Oryx and Chiru?
[UPSC Civil Service Exam – 2012 Prelims]
(a) Oryx is adapted to live in hot and arid areas whereas Chiru is adapted to live in steppes and semi-desert areas of cold high mountains.
(b) Oryx is poached for its antlers whereas Chiru is poached for its musk.
(c) Oryx exists in western India only whereas Chiru exists in north-cast India only.
(d) None of the statements (a), (b) and (c) given above is correct.
Answer: (a)
