![Pastoral grief within the excessive Himalayan rangelands [Commentary]](https://foreignshoresnrinews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Yak-herders-and-snow-leopards-share-these-high-rangelands-of-Shebo-Lachung-North-Sikkim-a-landscape.jpeg)
- Snow leopards symbolise Himalayan biodiversity conservation globally, but yak herders of North Sikkim’s alpine rangelands expertise worry, grief and financial loss from predator assaults.
- The decline in yak herds erodes not simply livelihoods but in addition a centuries-old cultural observe and ecological information system tied to the area.
- Lasting coexistence calls for balancing wildlife safety with the dignity and survival of pastoral communities sharing the Himalayan panorama.
- The views on this commentary are that of the creator.
North Sikkim’s alpine rangelands have for generations sustained each the Lachung and Lachen villages, together with the elusive snow leopard, usually referred to as the mountain ghost. On this gorgeous but harsh ecosystem, yak herders and snow leopards (Panthera uncia) have lengthy tailored to its rigours. At the moment, nonetheless, each face mounting challenges — from the erosion of herding traditions to the impacts of local weather change and the rise in human-predator encounters.
Globally, the snow leopard symbolises hope and dedication in the direction of preserving Himalayan biodiversity. But, for the herders sharing the panorama with these majestic cats, the predator’s presence usually leads to worry, frustration, and a risk to their livelihoods.
Conservation programmes just like the World Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Safety Program emphasise balancing the safety of apex predators with the sustainability of pastoral livelihoods. This stability, nonetheless, stays precarious. Whereas snow leopards are celebrated globally, native herding communities usually view them via the lens of livestock loss and financial hardship.
A loss in Yumesamdong
Throughout a latest go to to Yumesamdong, a valley in North Sikkim, I witnessed an intimate second of grief and resilience between a herder and his yak. A one-year-old yak calf had been killed, more than likely by a snow leopard. As somebody working in snow leopard conservation, I accompanied the herder to doc the incident, anticipating to discover a half-eaten carcass, the stench of decay, and the standard indicators of predation.
We forded a river and climbed uphill via skinny, chilly mountain air to an outdated yak corral, deserted in recent times. The herder shared how this space was as soon as bustling with many yak herds and herders. Over 80% of native yak herds have vanished, a devastating decline linked to a number of elements, together with predation and labour scarcity. Just a few herders proceed this historic observe, struggling to take care of the custom towards overwhelming odds.
The herder, employed by a neighborhood household to take care of about 110 yaks, mirrored on the rising threats. Snow leopards accounted for round 10% of predation losses. The extra alarming downside was feral canine, which assault younger calves grazing removed from human watch, intensifying livestock loss and decreasing tolerance for all predators.
On the website, the calf lay immobile, its thick wool hiding faint scars. Surprisingly, there have been no seen wounds or odor to counsel a kill. As we rigorously separated the wool, contemporary claw marks appeared on its neck and chest. The herder’s voice was low as he stated: Bichara avo, okay garnu. “Poor factor, what can I even do now?”
One other herder was heard saying, “When a snow leopard or another predator kills our yaks, it’s deeply painful. We have now raised them since they had been calves, cared for them, and fed them. They provide us milk and are a part of our lives, virtually like a mom to us.”
For the herder, the loss was greater than financial; the calf, if it had survived, might have been price round ₹80,000 within the following yr, an important asset for any herder dwelling in such a tough and remoted surroundings. Meat from animals killed by snow leopards is never eaten, he defined, because the predator sucks the blood, leaving the flesh tasteless.
The rituals adopted. The herder minimize off the calf’s tail, a culturally and economically worthwhile half, then dragged the physique to a secluded spot, the place my workforce assisted him in piling stones over it. “If carcasses are left uncovered,” he stated, “they appeal to extra predators and trigger extra bother.”
Watching this burial, I mirrored on the complicated dynamic of life and demise right here: How leaving the stays of a kill can feed scavengers, however eradicating them calls for bodily and emotional labour.
Past the loss
The herder then led us uphill to websites the place two blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) had additionally fallen prey to snow leopards. Alongside the way in which, he shared his deep information of native crops like Sikkim Sundari (Rheum nobile), providing drugs and sustenance from the excessive Himalayas. These ethnobotanical practices, consuming medicinal roots and even slugs identified for his or her well being properties, are very important survival instruments and markers of a complicated, place-based ecological knowledge.
This information and resilience distinction strongly with losses suffered from predation and social change. We handed yet one more outdated yak carcass, and stood in silence amidst the snow-capped peaks.
Later, the herder confirmed us his remaining summer time herd, which might graze right here till October earlier than migrating downhill. As we walked again to the decrease pastures, he provided us one other medicinal root to chew and identified edible slugs. These practices of plant use, ecological information, and seasonal migrations construct cultural scaffoldings that allow coexistence, even when losses because of predation pressure it often.
The boon and bane of coexistence
As we returned, a yak within the herd was about to offer start. The herder hurried ahead, anxious about feral canine. Reduction washed over his face when each mom and calf had been protected. This new start was a hopeful distinction to the sooner loss, reminding me how weak pastoral livelihoods are.
My work in snow leopard conservation seeks to guard these apex predators whereas supporting herders who coexist each day with danger and uncertainty. However witnessing a person bury his calf beneath chilly boulders revealed the bounds of compensation schemes, predator-proof corrals, and livestock insurance coverage insurance policies.
How do you quantify grief or honour bonds cast over years of care? These animals will not be simply property; they characterize custom, a lifestyle, and respect in a fragile mountain ecosystem. Monetary assist alone can’t assure long-term coexistence; it should be complemented by recognition and assist of the deep cultural, emotional, and ecological bonds pastoral communities share with their herds and the Himalayan panorama they name residence.
As Rodney Jackson, a pioneer in snow leopard analysis, stated in a latest webinar: “Anybody can analysis snow leopards for hundreds of years, however in order for you a long-lasting impression, work with the communities who share the mountains with them.” Lasting coexistence might be measured not solely by prey-predator survival however by Himalayan herders persevering with their lifestyle with delight, resilience, and hope.
The creator is a analysis affiliate at ATREE. She belongs to the Indigenous Lepcha group in Dzongu. Her analysis focuses on the intersection of tradition, biodiversity, and livelihoods.
Banner picture: A herder grieves a useless yak calf. Yak herders within the Himalayan highlands repeatedly face the lack of their herds from predator assaults. Picture by Pema Yangden Lepcha.
