Himalayan Serow spotted in Assam

Guwahati, Mar 3: The Himalayan Serow, a ‘near threatened’ animal has been spotted in Assam for the first time. The Himalayan Serow is a mammal somewhere between a goat and an antelope.

According to reports, the Serow was first spotted in the state of Assam famous for its varied wild life in the Manas Tiger Reserve Forest in December 2020 by a couple of tourist and guides.

Anindya Swargowari, additional principal chief conservator of forest for areas under the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), confirmed the visuals and said that the mammal is a Himalayan Serow.

He said that the animal was first spotted in the Manas Tiger Reserve in 2020.

Biologists say that the Himalayan Serow resembles a cross between a goat, a donkey, a cow and a pig. It is a medium size mammal with a large head, thick neck, short limbs, mule-like ears and coat of dark hair. The Himalayan serow, or Capricornis sumatraensis thar, is restricted to the Himalayan region and can be regarded as a subspecies of the mainland serow (Capricornis sumatraensis).

The Himalayan serow was first sighted in Himachal Pradesh. It was also spotted in Assam but through the camera traps. Earlier, the animal was spotted by locals and wildlife officials at a riverside rocky wall near Hurling village in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, on December 11, 2020. It was again sighted in the area on December 13, 2020.

Serows are generally not found at an altitude with an average elevation of 4270 meters above the sea level. Wildlife officials believe that this particular animal may have strayed into the Spiti Valley from the Rubi Bhaba Wildlife Sanctuary in adjoining Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh.

Previously assessed as 'near threatened', the Himalayan serow is now been categorized as ‘'vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed under Schedule I of The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which provides absolute protection.