The status of Ladakh urial Ovis orientalis vignei in Ladakh, India

Abstract

The Ladakhl urial Ovis orientalis vignei has a limited distribution and in recent years has declined in number. The author made three visits to Ladakh to investigate the status of the urial in a major part of its range which had been little studied before. The objects of the survey were to ascertain in which parts of its former range the Ladakh urial still occured; to assess its numbers, the reasons for any decrease in numbers and the prospects for its future survival. It was found that the decline of this animal in Ladakh had taken place later than that of animals in other areas of the Himalayas, due in part to unique social conditions, and that a numerically much reduced but widely distributed population remains, and has reasonable prospects for survival.