{"id":87585,"date":"2026-10-03T13:51:05","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T08:21:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=87585"},"modified":"2026-10-03T15:05:52","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T09:35:52","slug":"himalayan-tahr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/himalayan-tahr\/","title":{"rendered":"Himalayan Tahr"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Himalayan Tahr Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Kedarnath Wildlife Division is preparing to restrict human activity in high-altitude meadows and clear rubbish from parts of its sanctuary after a survey found that visitors and local residents were feeding Himalayan tahrs. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>About Himalayan Tahr<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is a large, <\/span><b>wild, goatlike mammal <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">that lives on the <\/span><b>mountain slopes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and in the <\/span><b>forests of the Himalayas.\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scientific Name: Hemitragus jemlahicus.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Himalayan Tahr <\/b><b>Habitat and Distribution<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is found in <\/span><b>southern Tibet, northern India, western Bhutan,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>Nepal<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the Himalayas, they are <\/span><b>mostly found on slopes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> between<\/span><b> 2,500 and 5,000 meters high.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In India, they are found in the states of<\/span><b> Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>Sikkim<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Himalayan Tahr <\/b><b>Features<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They are shorter in height than they are long.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They have a <\/span><b>small head,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> small<\/span><b> pointed ears<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and large eyes.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They are <\/span><b>sexually dimorphic,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with <\/span><b>females being smaller <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in weight and in size and having<\/span><b> smaller horns.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Male horns can grow up to 46 cm long.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>horns curve backward,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> which helps prevent injuries when males fight during mating season.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The exterior of a tahr is well adapted to the harsh climate of the Himalayas.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They are<\/span><b> double coated with a dense, reddish to dark brown woolly coat<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and a <\/span><b>thick undercoat.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Their <\/span><b>coats <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">are <\/span><b>thin with the end of winter <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><b>become lighter in color.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a member of the <\/span><b>ungulate group of mammals<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the Himalayan tahr has an <\/span><b>even number of toes.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> They can <\/span><b>grip both smooth and rough surfaces.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They are <\/span><b>gregarious <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">animals. They live in all-male and all-female herds that usually include up to 80 members.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Himalayan Tahr <\/b><b>Conservation Status<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is classified as &#8216;<b>Near Threatened<\/b>&#8216; under the IUCN Red List.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Key Facts about Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS)<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The KWS, famously known as the <\/span><b>Kedarnath Musk Deer Sanctuary,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is located in the Rudraprayag and Chamoli districts of <\/span><b>Uttarakhand<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The area falls under the <\/span><b>West Himalayan Zone<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the <\/span><b>Palearctic realm.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was named after the famous <\/span><b>Hindu temple of Kedarnath,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> which lies outside the northern border of the sanctuary.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Its alternate name comes from its primary purpose of protecting the <\/span><b>endangered Himalayan musk deer.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The sanctuary was established in 1972, covering a total area of 975.20 sq.km.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is the <\/span><b>largest protected area <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in the <\/span><b>western Himalayas.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It lies in the <\/span><b>upper catchment <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of the<\/span><b> Alaknanda and Mandakini Rivers.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>altitude <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ranges from <\/span><b>1,160 to 7,068 m.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is b<\/span><b>ordered by Kedarnath (6940 m), Mandani (6193 m)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><b>Chaukhamba (7068 m) peaks<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the north.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Vegetation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is covered with <\/span><b><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/temperate-rainforest\/\" target=\"_blank\">temperate forests<\/a>.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The higher and <\/span><b>upper regions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> possess the <\/span><b>sub-alpine and alpine coniferous forests.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>At high altitude<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>lush green meadows<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> envelope the entire region.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Flora<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <\/span><b>Oak, rhododendrons, Chir Pine <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and Alpine meadows along with several Himalayan flowering plants.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Fauna<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some of the mammals are <\/span><b>Musk deer, Himalayan Thar, Himalayan Black bear, Snow Leopard<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The birds found here are, <\/span><b>Nepal Tree-creeper, Little Pied Flycatcher<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Koklass Pheasant, Grey-cheeked Warbler, <\/span><b>Himalayan Monal<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>Kalij Pheasant<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>News: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newindianexpress.com\/india\/2026\/Oct\/02\/kedarnath-wildlife-sanctuary-to-restrict-human-activity-to-save-himalayan-tahr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><b>NIE<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Himalayan Tahr is a large hoofed mammal that lives in the Himalayas. Read more about Himalayan Tahr, Habitat and Distribution, Features, Latest News.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":87563,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[5377,21,22,23],"class_list":["post-87585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-upsc-prelims-current-affairs","tag-himalayan-tahr","tag-prelims-pointers","tag-upsc-current-affairs","tag-upsc-prelims-current-affairs","no-featured-image-padding"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87585","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87585"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87585\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":127344,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87585\/revisions\/127344"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}