WWF’s resident snow leopard expert returns to Bhutan

By Dr. Rinjan Shrestha
As I landed here yesterday, I was awestruck by all the decorations taking place in Thimpu, the capital of Bhutan. City walls were being painted; massive clean-up campaigns were underway. Dressed in national costume, people were joyous and in a festive mood.  I could hear traditional Bhutanese songs from every direction as people here practiced their dancing and singing skills.

(c) Rinjan Shestha/WWF Royal Palace, Thimpu, Bhutan
A small Himalayan kingdom of South Asia,  Bhutan is all set to celebrate the royal wedding that is taking place this week as His Majesty the Fifth King, 31-year old, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, is marrying Jetsun Pema. I am therefore quite fortunate in having this opportunity to observe the historic wedding ceremony of the Worlds’ Youngest King.

I am also feeling elated to come here to observe the unique natural history as this is the only place in world that I know of where  tigers, “the king of the jungles”  and snow leopards “the queen of the mountains”  share their roaming space.
Tigers are normally considered to be low-land animals and snow leopards, as their name suggests, live closer to the tops of mountains, above the tree lines. Part of my work while I’m there is to better understand this splendid phenomenon but I can guess it’s because as climate change progresses, tree lines are expected to move up and so are the tigers.
While I’m in Bhutan, I’ll be working with my Bhutanese colleagues to complete a blue sheep population and habitat survey and explore the possibility of applying science to understand ecology and behavior of snow leopards. If all of these objectives are met, we’ll be able to assess the health of the population of snow leopards. These magnificent animals are actually an indicator of the overall health of the ecosystem.
I am also lucky to be working in Wangchuck Centennial Park, which has recently been declared a protective area, thanks to the work of WWF in Bhutan and the Royal Government. We’re in the process of developing a park management plan to ensure that this area stays conserved and beautiful for many generations to come.
I’ll be back in Canada in December and I look forward to sharing my stories of Bhutan when I return. Wish me luck!