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Deosai is located in the Great Himalayan Range,
Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan. The Deosai plateau is
conveniently placed between the western massif of
the Himalayas and the central Karakoram. The park is
not only about wildlife but also about stunning
scenic views of the snow-clad mountains and streams.
The natural beauty and impressive grandeur of the
Deosai plains have made it world famous. Spread over
an area of 3,000 square kilometers, at an altitude
of 13,500 feet above sea level, the plains are home
to unique species of plant and animal life, of which
the Himalayan Brown Bears are the most famous. In
the words of Leisters Crowley, "In front of us lay
the Deosai, an absolutely treeless wilderness of
comparatively level country framed by minor peaks.
It gives a unique impression of desolation. To the
south of and visible from both the Burji and Sadpara
approaching areas is a 700-foot hill, on top of
which is a 500 foot-high-rock cairn. This unnamed
hilltop in the northern deosai region produces a
clear panorama of the Himalayan Kangari Range and
sections of the Karakoram. As you ascend its gentle,
grass covered slopes, Nanga Parbat will come into
view far to the west of you. In 'Gypsy Davy's'
words, "It was such an expanse of immensity as I
have hardly imagined...It seems you cannot talk in a
matter-of-fact way in a place like that...I thought
the Sierras were large, but here, where we could see
three or four score miles north, south, east and
west, and see only mountains, and most of them above
twenty thousand feet, the Sierras seem like sand
dunes”. The park remains wrapped in the white sheet
of snow from November to May and it is only in the
summer months one gets an opportunity to visit the
park. It is home to unique high altitude flora and
fauna, including the Himalayan Brown Bears. Deosai
is thought to have created a special habitat where
this endemic species has evolved over time. Most of
the plateau is a common grazing ground for the rural
communities that live around it. There are sixteen
villages that are settled on the periphery of Deosai.
It is accessible to them only for a few months every
year during the brief spring and summer. During the
cold season, it stands aloof and forlorn, a vast and
magnificent wilderness, one of the few that have
remained in Pakistan. The park can be reached from
Astore Valley in the west and Skardu in the north. Deosai
Plains make up one of the last frontiers of natural
habitat for the Himalayan brown bear, a creature
that once roamed the mountains freely. The park
currently has in between 20-28 Brown bears. This
park was established to protect these endangered
bears. Recently a research project has started by
Himalayan Wildlife Foundation (HWF) and the Northern
Areas Forests, Parks, and Wildlife Department to
secure the survival of the brown bear in the Deosai
Plains and to monitor their population. The Deosai
Plains are also home to the ibex, red fox, golden
marmot, wolf, the Ladakh urial, the snow leopard,
and a number of resident and migratory birds.
Mammals in the park include--Brown bear, Snow
leopard, Himalayan Musk deer Golden marmot, Pika,
Migratory hamster and Ermine. Birds in the park
are--Golden eagle, Lammergeyer vulture, Griffon
vulture, Laggar falcon, Peregrine falcon, Kestrel,
Indian sparrow hawk and Snow cock.
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