Himalayan Serow spotted in Assam

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A Himalayan Serow was spotted in Manas Tiger Reserve of Assam.

About

This animal is usually found at high altitudes ranging 2000-4000 metres above sea level. The sightings of rare animals and birds in Manas are an outcome of better access to remote parts of the protected area where extremists and hunters once ruled.

Himalayan Serow

Himalayan Serow has a resemblance of a cross between a goat, a donkey, a cow, and a pig. It’s a medium-sized mammal with a large head, thick neck, short limbs, long, mule-like ears, and a coat of dark hair.

This mammal has many species and all of them are found in Asia. They are mainly restricted to Himalayan region only.

Himalayan serows are herbivores, and are typically found at altitudes between 2,000 metres and 4,000 metres. They are also found in eastern, central, and western Himalayas, but not in the Trans Himalayan region.

Recently it was spotted in Spiti region of Himachal Pradesh. Serows are generally not found at this altitude, and never before has a serow been seen in the Himalayan cold desert.

It is otherwise a very unreachable animal, and few people have ever caught so much as a glimpse of it.

The animal has also been spotted in the Rupi Bhaba Wildlife Sanctuary, and in the higher reaches of Chamba.

IUCN Status of Himalayan Serow

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Himalayan serows have significant fallen down in population size, range size and habitat in the last decade, and this is expected to continue due to rigorous human impact.

Previously assessed as ‘near threatened’, the Himalayan serow is now been categorised as ‘vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

It is listed under Schedule I of The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which provides was under absolute protection.