Fights Like The Devil, Dressed As A Man

"I hope you're all ready for a game of 'I Spy,'" Ghanima laughed, handing out binnoculars as the students arrived. "Today we are heading to Hemis National Park, before the unofficial tourist-season opening, to look for their famed snow leopards!"

"Hemis is a high-elevation national park in Hemis in Leh district of Ladakh, India. The park has the highest density of snow leopards in any protected area in the world. However, Hemis functions very differently from other national parks and reserves in the country. You won’t find different wildlife zones or lodges here. And while the snow leopards are the park's main focus, with 200 breeding pairs, 16 mammal species and 73 bird species have been recorded in the park so far. You may see Argali, Bharal, Shapu, the Asiatic ibex, the Tibetan wolf, the Eurasian brown bear -- endangered in India -- Himalayan marmot, mountain weasel and the Himalayan mouse hare."

"Unlike many national parks, over 1,600 people live inside the park boundaries, mostly pastoralists raising poultry, goats, and sheep. This results in considerable animal-human conflict within the region. Snow leopards prey on livestock." Ghanima shrugged. "Often because the families are overgrazing their livestock outside the permitted bounds. It is a delicate balance between supporting the habitation of families that have been there for generations, and not overly interfearing with the snow leopards."

"The park also houses numerous Tibetan gompas and holy chortens within its boundaries. These include the famous 400-year-old Hemis Monastery. Hemis was a destination and via point on the silk routes of Tibet, and has long been a place of pilgrimage for Tibetan Buddhists. However, in the late 19th and early 20th century, the monastery attracted some attention due to the writings of Nicolas Notovitch, a Russian aristocrat and journalist, who claimed that Jesus had spent the missing years of his life in Tibet and Ladakh, specifically in Hemis."

The portal opened right as Ghanima finished speaking. "Right on time!" she laughed, taking Trebor's hand as he played with the binoculars hanging around his neck. "Let's go find some big cats!"