Looking for the BEAST in Himalayas

There are animals that are big, and then there are a few that are truly huge. Most of these massive creatures carry a long history of interaction with humans. One such animal is wild yak (Bos mutus). With a body mass ranging from 500 to 1,200 kilograms, the wild yak ranks among the largest terrestrial bovid species in the world. Very few land mammals can match its sheer size. Yet, the domestication of wolves and the extermination of Mammoth are some apt examples that shows the propensity of humans to either tame or even hunt the species to extinction.

In fact, wild yaks also face unprecedented threats that have caused a steep decline in their population across their range over the years. Adapted to survive in the cold, oxygen-poor high Himalayan and high altitude desert pastures, wild yaks are often killed in retaliation. The native range of wild yaks are Bhutan, China, India and Nepal where they have declined heavily. The species has gone extinct from Bhutan and has a possibly transient population of few individuals in the trans Himalayan valley of Limi, Humla district, Nepal. Few extant populations of the species remain in the Chang Tang Nature Reserve, Tibetan Autonomous Region, China and Changthang region, Ladakh, India.

Painting of a wild yak (Painting: Rowland Ward)

In 2008, I had the opportunity to conduct a presence-absence survey of snow leopards in Humla district. The snow leopard survey was, in many ways, a pretext for us to investigate the presence of mountain ungulates in the area, especially the wild yak. Just two of us made the trip. Before leaving Kathmandu, our knowledge of Humla (especially Limi valley) was limited to its location on Nepal’s map, the name of its district headquarters, and the fact that it was one of only two districts not connected to the national road network.

Limi valley in Humla is located at the north-westernmost corner of the country

I knew the trip would be arduous, and it certainly was. Snowfall made some hikes particularly challenging, to the point that we briefly considered paying for helicopter rescue in the middle of the journey. When we crossed Nara Pass (4,610 m) on our way back, we spontaneously danced with joy, feeling we had survived the ordeal.

Snowfall that made us considering getting a chartered helicopter

Dancing with joy after a seemingly impossible four hours climb from Hilsa to the top of Nara pass. The dance was spontaneous (Photo: Janak Raj Khatiwada)

Limi valley was assumed to offer refuge to snow leopards which made it mandatory to visit the area. However reaching the place was especially difficult. We had to cross mountain passes above 4,500 m twice. With no prior knowledge of the terrain or people, we were clearly underprepared in terms of logistics. Yet both of us enjoyed the physical challenge, and despite the difficulties, we found the trip rewarding. I can still recall the dizziness I felt upon reaching Yari (3,700 m) and the chest pain the next day while climbing to Nara Pass (4,500 m). It was a humbling experience for me as I never thought altitude would trouble me and these moments made the trip unforgettable.

The route was very tricky, especially between Yari and Hilsa (Photo: Rinji Sherpa)

One incident during the trip stands out because it was so unexpected. One day we walked from Hilsa (3,500 m), a Nepal-China border settlement, to Tila (3,800 m). Before starting, we asked about the distance, and one local said, “People from Tila come to Hilsa in the morning with some stuff and return in the afternoon.” From that, we expected a 6–8 hour walk. We were wrong—it took us nearly 10 hours. Upon arrival, we learned something surprising about the people of Limi valley: they do not host outsiders unless they already know them. Tired and hungry, we struggled to find a place to rest. After much effort, locals allowed us to stay in a communal space. The mattresses looked rough, but we were so exhausted that we slept well once we unrolled our sleeping bags.

Taking time off of snow leopard sign survey near Tila village (Photo: Janak Raj Khatiwada)

The most valuable outcome of our Humla trip was the wealth of information we gathered on highland mammals, especially wild yak and Tibetan antelope (chiru). However this was just the beginning of a journey that would eventually change the landscape of wildlife conservation of Limi valley in the years to come. I will cover these in my upcoming posts.