Siberian weasel captured in Neora Valley

SOUMITRA NANDI | MP | 30 Aug 2023 : An in-house study by the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (PNHZP) in Neora Valley National Park has captured a Siberian Weasel, which is the first known camera-trap record of this species from Bengal. 

Details of the findings have recently been published in the IUCN Journal of Small Conservation Carnivore. 

About 20 camera traps were set in the temperate forest area of Neora Valley during a field survey for the Himalayan Red Panda between April 18 and 27, 2022 when the animal was captured in one of these traps. It was primarily mistaken for Stoat Mustela erminea based on its tail length, black nose and black tail tip, but was later correctly identified as Siberian Weasel Mustela sibirica. 

Known as the Siberian Weasel or kolonok, this weasel is a medium-sized one. It has gained the scientific name Mustela sibirica. It merrily inhibits open space as well as densely forested areas. 

The Siberian Weasel has a large range that includes various countries like Russia, China, Mongolia, Korea, Pakistan, Nepal, India, Bhutan, Taiwan and Myanmar. In India, it has been spotted in several places, from the western Himalayas to the north-eastern Himalayas, Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim and West Bengal to Arunachal Pradesh, 

The Siberian Weasel Mustela sibirica do not have many threats as of now, and has a stable population all over the globe and hence has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. 

These tiny animals prey mostly on various species of rodents and rarely on reptiles, invertebrates and selected flora. Their choice of rodents as prey varies according to the country they live in. 

Siberian Weasels build their nest inside empty stumps, brushwood piles and exposed tree roots. They usually depend on bird feathers and rodent hair to build these nests. 

The Neora Valley National Park stands on the border of Sikkim and Bhutan and is managed by the Gorumara Wildlife Division of Kalimpong district. 

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/siberian-weasel-captured-in-neora-valley-531142