INDIAN RHINOCEROS

The Indian rhinoceros has one horn (both male and female), and its skin has loose folds and rivet-like knobs which make it appear armored. A female Indian rhino weighs about 1600 kg (3500 lb), while a male weighs about 2200 kg (4800 lb). The average height of a female is 1.6 m (5.2'); males average 1.8 m (5.9') tall. The Indian rhino is found throughout its present range in alluvial plain habitats: riverine grasslands with grass up to 8 m (26') tall and marshy areas bordered by riverine woodlands, drier sal forest, or tropical almond forest. It now often uses cultivated areas, pastures, and modified woodlands. The Indian rhino's diet consists mainly of grass but also includes fruit, leaves, branches of trees and shrubs, and cultivated crops.
The Indian rhino is active mostly at night, in early morning and in the late afternoon. The middle of the day is usually spent resting, either in the shade or in wallows. Apart from cow-calf pairs, Indian rhinos rarely form groups. Adult males are usually solitary, but they sometimes occur in temporary associations at wallows and grazing grounds where they often feed or rest together but move independently of each other. The Indian rhino is not territorial. The home ranges of dominant bulls overlap with one another, with ranges of weaker males that do not attempt to mate, and with ranges of females.
In historic times, the Indian rhino occurred in the sub-Himalayan region all along the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra River basins. It disappeared over much of its range between 1600 - 1900. By the beginning of the 20th century, it was close to extinction. At that point there was a change in human treatment of the Indian rhino: hunting was halted and general legal protection was established. For most of the 20th century, populations of the Indian rhino have been concentrated in southern Nepal and northeastern India. By the late 20th century, the Indian rhino was confined to a few isolated patches in the Nepal terai, West Bengal (India), and the Brahmaputra Valley in Assam (India). Fortunately, the total population increased considerably during the second half of the 20th century (See Population Estimates below.).
The main reason for the decline of the Indian rhino from its historical levels was the loss of alluvial plain grasslands to agricultural development, which destroyed the rhino's prime habitat, led to conflicts with human interests, and made the rhino more accessible to hunters. In the early 20th century, hunting was prohibited. Currently, with most Indian rhinos occurring only in sanctuaries, poaching (mainly for use of its horn in Oriental medicine) is still a major problem, as well as competition for grazing with domestic stock and trespass in sanctuaries by villagers for firewood and fodder

WATER BUFFOLO

The wild Asian buffalo weighs 800 - 1200 kg (1800 - 2600 lb). It is a massive, powerful animal, with the widest horn span of any bovid - more than 6.5' (2 m). The wild Asian buffalo is very dependent on the availability of water. Historically, its preferred habitats were low-lying alluvial grasslands and their surroundings. Riparian forests and woodlands were also utilized. The wild Asian buffalo eats grass and leafy aquatic vegetation. It is mainly a grazer, feeding in the morning and evenings and lying up in dense cover or submerging in wallows during midday. During the midday heat, the wild Asian buffalo frequently wallows in water or muddy pools, sometimes almost completely submerged, with only its nostrils showing. In addition to keeping it cool, wallowing helps to remove skin parasites, biting flies, and other pests. Where there is substantial human disturbance, the wild Asian buffalo is mainly nocturnal.
A herd of female wild Asian buffaloes with young is led by a dominant matriarch and often accompanied by a single adult bull. Other males live solitarily or form bachelor herds of about 10. Young males spar with each other to assert dominance but avoid serious fighting. They mix with females at mating time.
The wild Asian buffalo originally ranged from eastern Nepal and India, east to Vietnam, and south to Malaysia. By 1963, it had been substantially reduced numerically and eliminated from the greater part of its former range. Currently, the total world population of wild Asian buffalo is almost certainly less than 4,000 animals and may well be less than 200 animals. It is even possible that no purebred wild Asian buffalo remain. Population estimates are hampered by the difficulty in distinguishing wild buffalo from domestic, feral and hybrid buffalo. In India, wild buffalo are now largely restricted to Assam and Madhya Pradesh, although most, if not all, are believed to have interbred with domestic and/or feral buffalo. An unknown number of buffalo, believed to include truly wild individuals, occurs in Bhutan’s Royal Manas National Park. Kosi Tappu Wildlife Reserve contains the only sub-population in Nepal. In Thailand, 40 – 50 wild buffalo are reported to occur in the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary; this is the only sub-population remaining in Thailand

ASIAN ELEPHANT

The Asian elephant can weigh up to 5400 kg (11,900 lb). It currently occupies forested habitats in hilly or mountainous terrain, up to about 3600 m (11,800'). An adult eats approximately 150 kg (330 lb) per day - mainly grasses but also leaves, twigs and bark. It feeds during the morning, evening and night and rests during the middle of the day, requiring shade during the hot season to keep from overheating. Elephants cannot go for long without water (they require 70-90 liters (19-24 gal) of fluid/day) and sometimes must travel long distances each day between their water supplies and feeding areas. One calf is born every 3-4 years after a pregnancy lasting about 22 months. Although mature male elephants may live alone, females live in family groups consisting of mothers, daughters and sisters, together with immature males. Wild elephants can live to be sixty years old.The Asian elephant once ranged from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in ancient Mesopotamia in the west, east through Asia south of the Himalaya to Indochina and the Malay Peninsula, including Sri Lanka and Sumatra and possibly Java, and north into China at least as far as the Yangtze River. In the 19th century it was still common over much of the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka and the eastern parts of its range. By 1978, Asian elephants were found in the same countries as they are at present.Technological advances, together with other factors associated with colonialism, led in most countries to a drastic crash in elephant numbers during the 19th century. (Olivier 1978) "With the spread of civilization and growth of population, the area under cultivation for the production of food has rapidly extended during recent decades. Consequently the former feeding-grounds of wild elephants have diminished,..." (Gee 1950) After the introduction of firearms to Sri Lanka around 1950, cultivators killed more than 300 elephants in seven years to protect their crops. (Morgan-Davies 1958)
Female Asian elephants are not affected by ivory poaching (due to their lack of tusks), so poaching has not affected the overall population numbers of Asian elephants as drastically as it has in the case of the African elephant. The single most important cause of the decline of the Asian elephant has been the loss of habitat. They have also been affected by persecution due to the crop damage they are perceived to cause.

RED PANDA

The red panda (which is much smaller than the giant panda) resembles a raccoon in size and appearance. The red panda weighs 3 - 6 kg (7 - 13 lb). It lives in mountain forests with a bamboo understory, at altitudes generally between 1500 and 4800 m (5000 - 15,700'). Red pandas almost exclusively eat bamboo. They are good tree climbers and spend most of their time in trees when not foraging. A female red panda picks a location such as a tree hollow or rock crevice for a maternal den, where she will bear 1 - 5 young. Red pandas are solitary, except for the mating period and the time when a mother and its young are together.
The red panda is found in a mountainous band from Nepal through northeastern India and Bhutan and into China, Laos and northern Myanmar. It is rare and continues to decline. It has already become extinct in 4 of the 7 Chinese provinces in which it was previously found. The major threats to red pandas are loss and fragmentation of habitat due to deforestation (and the resulting loss of bamboo) for timber, fuel and agricultural land; poaching for the pet and fur trades; and competition from domestic livestock.

SNOW LROPARD

The snow leopard has long, thick smoky gray fur with dark rosettes and spots, and a very long thick tail. Weighing up to 75 kg (165 lb), it has large, well-cushioned paws, a strong chest, and short forelimbs that enable it to scale outcroppings high on cliffs. Further adaptations for high-altitude life include long hair with dense, woolly underfur and an enlarged nasal cavity. It has been reported to leap as far as 15 m (about 50'). Throughout its range, the snow leopard is mostly associated with steep, dry, rocky terrain with shrub or grassland vegetation. It is generally found at elevations between 3000 - 4500 m (9800 - 14,800'). The snow leopard is an opportunistic predator. Its most common prey includes wild sheep and goats, but it also eats marmots, pikas, hares and game birds (chukor partridge and snowcocks), as well as domestic sheep and goats.
The snow leopard can be crepuscular or nocturnal, apparently depending on the degree of persecution by humans. It is an excellent rock climber and prefers traveling along linear features such as major ridgelines, gullies, and the base or crest of broken cliffs.
A female snow leopard usually has 2 - 3 cubs. The cubs eat their first solid food when they are about 2 months old, and a month later begin to follow their mother when she goes hunting. They hunt with the mother at least through their first winter. Adult snow leopards are generally solitary. Males and females apparently have overlapping ranges. An average density of about 1 snow leopard/100 sq km (about 3/100 sq mi) over large tracts of habitat appears to be typical.
By 1970 the snow leopard had already become rare due to hunting for fur and as a trophy, persecution as a livestock predator, and loss of prey. Currently, it has a fragmented distribution, consisting of a mix of long narrow mountain systems and islands of montane habitat scattered throughout a vast region surrounding the Central Asian deserts and plateaus.

Daphne or Lophophorus

The Daphne is the national bird of Nepal
These exotic of all pheasants are the inhabitants of high elevation of the Himalayan range
Over 850 species of birds have been recorded in Nepal
When they dance, they stretch their wings and tail feathers showing their glorious colors
Daphne is also called as Monal, which is more commonly used by the people who see them the most - the mountainous people of the country

COW

Cow is a sacred animal, also the national animal of Nepal
Cows are worshiped special during festivals such as Tihar
Cow's dung and Urine are used during Puja (Act of honoring, respecting or worshiping Gods)
Killing or Eating Cow Meat is a Felony in Nepal