SRINAGAR: A safari car can roll past a rhino in Kaziranga. In Ranthambore, it can track a tiger. Put that car in Ladakh. For its elusive snow leopards — masters of camouflage in a landscape where survival depends on staying unseen — the question is whether tourism can get close enough to see them without making them disappear for good.Ladakh has planned to introduce guided wildlife safaris on popular snow leopard and bird-watching trails, triggering warnings from conservationists that turning a fragile high-altitude wilderness into a tourist circuit could disturb wildlife, commercialise off-roading and open the door to roads, eateries and other tourism infrastructure.“You cannot see a snow leopard from a jeep unless you do something illegal like placing bait or a sheep to lure it,” said Dr MK Ranjitsinh, emeritus member of Wildlife Trust of India, who has spent nearly 50 years shaping conservation strategies and played a key role in framing the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 and Project Tiger.“Kaziranga is not Ladakh and Ranthambore is not Ladakh. The ecology is completely different,” he added.In Ladakh’s open valleys, vehicles can be visible from miles away. Vegetation is concentrated along valley bottoms, drawing animals there to feed and drink. “Are you taking a safari there?” he asked.Ladakh is home to 477 of India’s estimated 718 snow leopards — the country’s largest population. It also supports more than 38 mammal species, 340 bird species and 1,800 vascular plant species. But spotting a snow leopard is a needle-in-a-haystack affair. Its thick, mottled coat melts into rocky slopes, while steep, remote terrain gives it a vast natural advantage.The Ladakh govt spokesperson said lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has directed the forest department to introduce guided safaris modelled on national parks such as Kaziranga and Ranthambore, using specially designed open-back vehicles operated by trained local drivers and guides. According to govt, the move is aimed at preventing illegal off-roading and disturbance of wildlife.The plan was cleared at the first governing body meeting of Snow Leopard and High-Altitude Nature Conservation Society, chaired by Saxena. Forest officials have been asked to explore routes across Hemis national park, Changthang and Karakoram wildlife sanctuaries, besides Nubra, Zanskar, Sham, Kargil and Drass.Ranjitsinh fears a different road ahead. “Wildlife safari may be good in principle but in practice it could be a disaster,” he said, warning that tourism and hotel lobbies could eventually overwhelm govt controls. “There will be demands for more roads, eating places and other infrastructure. Eventually, the whole landscape could turn into a festival.”
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A wildlife official said safaris work best where animals occur in large concentrations or herds — unlike Himalayan and Trans-Himalayan terrain. Ladakh already has roads across its protected areas, with tourist vehicles accessing most zones except some restricted border regions.“What they actually plan is to regularise and commercialise off-roading,” the official said, warning that vehicles could be allowed into fragile meadows for a price.Kaziranga and Ranthambore were built into India’s safari imagination. Ladakh’s proposed safari would venture into an entirely different world. Its snow leopards are scattered across an unforgiving landscape where the first rule of spotting one is knowing where not to look.
