L-G Saxena flags off six vehicles as the UT bets on community-led, low-impact wildlife tourism
Leh, October 7: India’s first high-altitude wildlife safari is now open in Ladakh. Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena flagged off six vehicles for the Ladakh Snow Leopard Safari during Wildlife Week celebrations at Choglamsar Protected Forest. The initiative was announced on August 5 and delivered within two months.
The SHAN Society runs the safari together with the UT’s Forest, Ecology and Environment Department. Specially designed open-back vehicles, driven by trained local drivers and accompanied by wildlife guides, will first operate in Rumbak, Shang and Uley, where snow leopards are often sighted. Routes are also being mapped across Hemis National Park, Changthang, the Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary and several districts.
Officials say the guided format aims to curb illegal off-roading, regulate visitor numbers and make local communities partners in conservation. Saxena said neither wildlife nor people should be protected at the other’s expense.
Ladakh is home to 477 of India’s estimated 718 snow leopards, along with more than 340 bird species and around 1,800 vascular plant species.
The event also highlighted several livelihood programmes. Twenty youth are being trained as birding guides, and 50 women from five border villages make felted wildlife crafts. Grants were given to 50 school eco-clubs. Saxena also unveiled an AI-based device to reduce human-wildlife conflict, released a documentary on the Himalayan brown bear, and announced the second Black-necked Crane Festival.
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