Bhutan - Lindsay Brown [66]
Several species of cat, ranging from the moggy-sized jungle cat to the powerful tiger, prowl the forests, valleys and mountains of Bhutan. The other cats are the Asiatic golden cat, marbled cat, pallas cat, leopard cat, fishing cat, lynx, clouded leopard, common leopard and the enigmatic snow leopard.
With its extraordinarily beautiful dappled silver coat, the snow leopard has been hunted relentlessly throughout its range (see below) and is now in danger of extinction. This elusive cat is almost entirely solitary, largely because a single animal’s hunting territory is so vast and its prey is so scarce throughout its high-altitude habitat. However, when its favourite prey, the blue sheep, migrates to lower valleys in winter, the snow leopard follows. It is then that the sexes meet.
The essentially solitary tiger is a symbol of great reverence in Bhutan. They number probably around 100 animals, mostly concentrated in and around Royal Manas National Park, though tigers may be found throughout Bhutan, even at high altitudes (3900m), and as far north as Jigme Dorji National Park.
Several tiger conservation measures have been implemented in Bhutan and, coupled with the strong protected-areas system, has provided a favourable environment for the animal. It is believed the protected regions of Bhutan and India provide sufficient habitat to sustain viable breeding populations.
BEARS & PANDAS
There are two species of bear found in Bhutan. The omnivorous Himalayan black bear is a bane to farmers growing corn and fruit near the temperate forests (1200m to 3500m) it frequents, whereas the sloth bear is principally a termite eater and honey pirate found at lower altitudes. Bears do occasionally attack humans, probably because their poor eyesight leads them to interpret that a standing person is making a threatening gesture.
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THE LEOPARD & THE FUNGUS
A tragedy is being played out in and beyond the mountains of Bhutan, featuring an exotic cast, high-stakes fashion and a plot that defies imagination. Some Chinese swimming coaches and practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine have talked up the value of Bhutan’s yartsa goenbub (winter-worm summer-plant), also known as caterpillar fungus, Cordyceps sinensis, associating this peculiar fungus with powers matched only by rhino horns, elephant tusks and tiger penises. Tibetan yak herders wandering in and out of Bhutan traditionally scooped up fungus to augment their meagre living, but the increased demand for Cordyceps has brought sudden wealth. And the knock-on effect has been felt most keenly by the big cats of Asia. Increasing numbers of new-money Tibetans with a hankering for traditional garb are providing a growing market for cat skins, particularly tiger and snow leopard, which adorn their chuba (cloaks). Bhutanese rangers in Jigme Dorje National Park are faced with increasing numbers of fungus gatherers; meanwhile, already endangered big cats across south Asia are enduring a new wave of poaching activity.
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THE TAKIN – BHUTAN’S NATIONAL ANIMAL Tashi Wangchuk
The reason for selecting the takin as the national animal is based both on its uniqueness and its strong association with the country’s religious history and mythology. When the great saint Lama Drukpa Kunley, the Divine Madman, visited Bhutan in the 15th century, a large congregation of devotees gathered from around the country to witness his magical powers. The people urged the lama to perform a miracle.
However, the saint, in his usual unorthodox and outrageous way (Click here), demanded that he first be served a whole cow and a goat for lunch. He devoured these with relish and left only the bones. After letting out a large and satisfied burp, he took the goat’s head and stuck it onto the bones of the cow. And then with a snap of his fingers he commanded the strange beast to rise up and graze on the mountainside. To the astonishment of the people the animal arose and ran up to the meadows to graze. This animal came to be known as the dong gyem tsey (takin) and to this day these