How Ladakh Homestays Are Helping Locals Protect Snow Leopards and Their Habitat |
One morning, a couple of years ago, Deachen Chuksit went to her field to milk the cows, a usual morning routine. But she was distraught to find one missing. As a native of Ladakh — also home to the snow leopard — this didn’t come as a shock.
She’d often heard of the snow leopard’s notoriety and how it ruthlessly killed her neighbour’s cattle and sheep as they innocently grazed on the mountain pastures. But, today, she was a victim of the same fate. Years ago, Deachen’s reaction to this horrifying incident would be to weep. But this time, she dialled a number on her phone and calmly narrated the loss she had just witnessed.
The person on the other end of the line was Dr Tsewang Namgail — the present director at the Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust. Patiently, he heard Deachen out. The next month, an amount of Rs 7,000 made its way to her. The money was a reimbursement for the cow she lost.
“The insurance scheme that Mr Namgail has started is very helpful to us,” Tsewang Norboo, Deachen’s brother-in-law shares. He has been helping her out following the death of her husband.
As part of the scheme, every village home pays an annual sum of Rs 400. The cumulative amount goes into the bank account that Namgail has set up. When a villager reports an incident of a missing cow or goat, citing the snow leopard as the culprit, they are compensated with Rs 5,000 (for a small animal) and Rs 7,000 (for a larger animal).
Namgail took over as director in 2013, after the passing away of his beloved friend and mentor Rinchen Wangchuk. The Ladakhi mountaineer and conservationist had co-founded the trust in 2003 along with biologist Rodney Jackson with a focus on prioritising a harmonious relationship between the snow leopard and the locals.
The return to the place he once called home is special for Namgail who was previously working as a wildlife biologist in the United States where he was studying the migratory patterns of birds. “I had always harboured a dream to come back to Ladakh,” he shares. A burning desire to raise awareness about environmental and ecological issues was behind this dream.
And so, when in 2012, the trust seemed to be struggling after the passing away of its leader, Namgail knew it was time to return.
The villagers who once moved around with fear in their eyes and a tremble in their steps, now have a newfound confidence. They no longer hate the feline. In fact, a major chunk of their incomes is generated by snow leopard-related tourism. To make up for the favour, the locals do not hunt the animals down, as they once did, thus allowing their........