Rare & Shy Himalayan Serow Spotted in Himachal Pradesh’s Spiti For The First Time, Pictures Go Viral

An official said it was an extremely shy animal and can only be sighted during winters, when it migrates to lower elevations.

Though to be extinct, the rarely seen Himalayan serow, a goat antelope, has been sighted and captured in a camera by the state wildlife wing in Himachal Pradesh’s remote Spiti Valley for the first time. Much to the delight of wildlife officials, the rare creature spotted at Hurling village in Spiti valley of Lahaul-Spiti district.

An official said it was an extremely shy animal and can only be sighted during winters, when it migrates to lower elevations. “It is an extremely shy animal and its habitat is dense forests. Only in winter its sighting in the GHNP is possible when it migrates to lower elevations,” GHNP Deputy Ranger Roshan Lal Chaudhary told IANS.

Officials were instructed to maintain a strict watch on the animal and protect it from any potential threats, according to a Times of India report.

Here are some pictures captured by the team:

Himachal Pradesh: Extinct Himalayan Serow spotted at Hurling village in Spiti.

Images were captured by a team of Wildlife Division Spiti & it is the first photographic record of this species in the cold desert.

(Pics source: Wildlife Division, Spiti) pic.twitter.com/LB9dRY3MAH

— ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2020

A video taken by the wildlife officials shows the rare animal moving near a stream where it was grazing, however, it fled soon after sensing human movement.

Threatned soecies- Himalayan Serow sighted in Hurling village of Spiti in Lahaul-Spiti district. pic.twitter.com/CiPoWl14rU

— anand bodh (@anandbodhTOI) December 12, 2020

Chaudhary further said one could encounter signs of serow like pellets, resting places and footmarks, but it is almost impossible to spot the animal. “In 2018 only once its sighting was recorded in a camera trap installed in the GHNP,” he said.

Hunting of the Himalayan Serow is prohibited as it is included under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and it has also been listed as endangered species by the International Union for Conservation for Nature.