Uttarakhand: A rare squirrel, flying using claw fur as a parachute, has been spotted in Gangotri National Park in Uttarkashi.
According to reports, the squirrel has been seen in 18 places out of the 13 forest divisions of the state revealed the survey of Uttarakhand Forest Research Center.
The Wooly Squirrel was considered extinct 70 years ago in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. However, the Dehradun Wildlife Institute’s scientists have spoken of its occurrence in the Bhagirath Valley and rare photographs have also been found.
This squirrel makes its nests mostly on oak, cedar and rosewood trees. Flying squirrels have been seen in golden, brown and dark colors. A 30–50 cm long flying squirrel has also been spotted in Lansdowne in Kotdwar. Local people also call them Patta tigers due to the neck. Earlier these squirrels had more number, but due to the cutting forest and global warming, their number has started decreasing. Now they are recorded in Schedule-2 of the Wildlife Protection Act.
Using her claw fur as a parachute, she can glide from 400 to 500 meters. Jyoti Prakash, who researches these squirrels, says that it took 10 to 12 days to find their nest in the forest. Then after applying the camera trap continuously for 7 to 8 days, some photos and videos of flying squirrels have been found.
Ms Kalinga