Cold Mountain: Wild Sightings on High Passes

Mountain passes connect two valleys across mountain ranges. If there is a piece of land on this planet that can be called the “land of passes”, then it is Ladakh (la means pass and dakh means country or place in the Tibetan language). Over millennia, Ladakh’s passes have facilitated trade and cultural exchange between China, India, Central Asia, and West Asia.

In August 2023, on the Zoji La (3,580 m), which connects the Kashmir Valley with Ladakh’s Drass Valley, I met Gul Muhammad, a tea stall owner and the son of a trekking guide. He was selling namkeen chai (salted butter tea), kahwa (traditional Kashmiri tea) and Maggi. He came from a family with a history of caravaning across the treacherous Karakoram Pass (5,540 m), which connects India with Central Asia. “My ancestors would not stay on the passes more than required,” he said. “Why?” I asked. “Altitude gets to your body and brain already fatigued from the strain of caravaning. But the passes are inhabited by many unknown animals. We always salute them for their strength and resilience. Allah ki rahmat ho un par.” (…may Allah bless them).”

Since 2017, during my several visits to Ladakh for wildlife conservation projects, the thing that always intrigued me was that whenever you are travelling from the Ladakhi capital, Leh, you always need to cross at least one high mountain pass. If you are visiting Kargil, you cross Fotu La (4,108 m); if you are going to Tso Kar, you have to cross Tanglang La (5,328 m); if you are heading to Pangong Tso, you must cross Chang La (5,360 m). This is because Ladakh is geographically blessed with three, almost parallel, high, rugged mountain ranges — Zanskar, Ladakh, and Karakoram. Among the many passes that dot Ladakh, Wari La (5,312 m) on the Ladakh Range is relatively less explored and travelled. Tucked between Chang La (5,360 m) and Khardung La (5,359 m), Wari La connects the Indus Valley with the Shayok or Nubra Valley. But, like Gul Muhammad indicated, these passes aren’t mere geographical features. They are also significant habitats where some of Ladakh’s lesser-known and barely seen native wildlife live.

Snow-capped Wari La offers a panoramic view of the distant Shakti village. An animal’s footprints, perhaps those of a red fox, are visible in the foreground, and the backdrop is the mighty Zanskar Range across the Indus Valley. 

Permafrost, meandering glaciers, and rugged mountain peaks adorn the wild, high-altitude landscape around Wari La.

The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) is one of the most widespread yet rarest medium-sized wild cat species found in the Indian high-altitudes, inhabiting mountainous steppe habitats up to 5,500 m above mean sea level.

The most prominent physical feature of a lynx is its ear tufts. The coat is thick and silky, a mix of golden, red, and brown, blending almost flawlessly with the surrounding habitat. The lynx’s face is adorned by a ruff, appearing like a beard. The tail is relatively short in comparison to its body size and has a black tip. Lynxes have relatively large, padded paws covered with dense fur, which aid in easy navigation over snow. Lynxes lead a solitary and territorial life. They are ambush predators feeding on medium-sized wild herbivores, birds, and small mammals. In Ladakh, Hemis National Park is a popular place for sighting the lynx. In this image, a lynx is resting on a boulder near Wari La.

While driving or walking around Ladakh’s high altitude steppes, you may see a solitary wolf or a pack of wolves drifting across the landscape. Canis lupus chanco, or Tibetan wolves, represent one of the oldest surviving wolf lineages. Along with the snow leopard and brown bear, they are the top predators of the Indian high altitudes, especially the Trans-Himalaya. Being social canids (members of the dog family), they operate through high-level cooperation in a pack. Although wolves are considered medium-sized carnivores, they can hunt down relatively large wild and domesticated prey such as Tibetan wild asses (kiangs), wild yaks, domestic yaks, and horses. Research indicates that specific genetic adaptations help wolves survive in high-altitude, low-oxygen conditions.

Tibetan wolves emit short-duration, low-frequency vocalisations that make them acoustically distinct from other wolves. Over the past few decades, unfortunately, hybridisation between wolves and free-ranging dogs has occurred in Ladakh. These hybrid individuals are locally called khyibshang — derived from khyi or dog and shanku or wolf.

A high-altitude small mammal inhabiting the Himalayan and Tibetan steppe landscape, woolly hares (Lepus oiostolus) are best sighted in open, undulating steppes or mountain slopes. The most common manner of sighting a woolly hare is when you glimpse something small, bulky and furry with long ears hopping through ground vegetation, and then it suddenly comes to a standstill. Their ears are long and grey with black patches at the tips, and white rings surround their eyes. Woolly hares are shy and usually solitary. They are most active during the evening and nighttime, foraging mainly on grasses and herbs. Wolf, stone marten, weasel, red fox and golden eagle are their main predators. When chased by a predator, woolly hares have been observed taking refuge in thorny Caragana bushes as a way of protecting themselves from a predator. This strategy is particularly helpful to escape aerial predators. 

The chukar (Alectoris chukar) is a quail-like, ground-dwelling bird from the pheasant family. A striking black band shaped like an elongated rhombus necklace or garland runs from its forehead right above the base of the beak, through the eyes, and down the neck, enclosing the throat. Male and female chukars are very similar in appearance. The name is derived from the Sanskrit “chakar” and Hindi/Urdu “chakoar”, which was changed by the British to “chukar”. The name is onomatopoeic i.e., derived from the series of scratchy notes “chak, chak, chak” that it makes.

They inhabit high-altitude steppe habitats. On roadsides and when approaching a pass in Ladakh, sighting of a chukar family often breaks the monotony of the drive along the bleak landscape. Chukars are usually sighted scurrying across the road or dirt trails, or over pasture vegetation. Often, parent chukars lead a flock of chicks as they try to keep pace. When alarmed, chukars explode into flight with a characteristic chucking sound.