The Forest Department claims to have discovered a rare butterfly endemic to Uttarakhand in the Kumaon region that was last recorded in the colonial era. There were no photographs of this butterfly—the Chestnut and Block Royal (Tajuria Yajna Yajna) till it was photographed on January 27 at Ghingharutola village in Bageshwar district by the department’s survey team.
The Forest Department has been conducting a survey of butterflies in the Kumaon region under the directions of Kumaon chief conservator of forests, Param Jit Singh, for the past three months. According to Singh, study of the specimens photographed during the survey revealed that the very rare Chestnut and Black Royal had been photographed too.
Endemic to Uttarakhand, there are no records of this butterfly having been sighted in the State in the past. “This discovery is an important achievement for the department. The finding of this rare butterfly species in the region shows that the status of rare wildlife in Uttarakhand is still not very clear. We will continue to conduct survey and raise public awareness for the conservation of such small and beautiful creatures,” he said.
Since butterflies are highly sensitive to even minor changes in the environment, one can learn about the ecological health of a place by studying the butterflies, said Singh, while adding that the main aim of the survey is to gauge the environmental changes in Kumaon region by studying the butterflies. According to statistical officer at the Kumaon CCF, Shankar Kumar, the insect was photographed by well known butterfly expert Sunny Chir and the identity was also confirmed by Isaac Kehimkar of the Bombay Natural History Society.
Very little is known about the Chestnut and Black Royal except that it is believed to be found only in Uttarakhand. “Our photograph of the butterfly is possibly its only photograph in India. This butterfly is listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act and is a protected species,” Kumar said, who also headed the survey team.
It may be recalled that last year in November, this survey team had photographed the rare Kashmir Four Ring butterfly for the first time in Uttarakhand at Bageshwar district. So far, 100 butterfly species have been observed and information collected on them in the survey. Naturalists Pramod Kumar, Govind Kumar, Vinit Shah, Saurabh Kumar and Harish Upreti were also part of the survey team.