The sorry state of India's animal care services was highlighted when a cub of the elusive and highly endangered snow leopard that died because of a lack of medical facilities in its natural habitat. The cub was brought from Ladakh, its natural home, to Chhatbir in the plains for treatment, but could not acclimatise to the low altitude and died on December 28 last year. "Lack of facilities in an area (Ladakh) that is a rich natural habitat of many fauna species killed the precious animal," says a member of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-India.
Army personnel had spotted the sick cub in the Nubra valley on August 4 last year, and brought it to the plains in a last ditch effort to save its life.
Although Vinod Sharma, deputy director of Chhatbir Zoo stated that "had the cub remained in Leh his life could have been prolonged", the WWF member points out that the army's decision was forced by the absence of medical services for the animal in the region.
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