Kathmandu, Sept. 18 -- When British naturalist SirJoseph Dalton Hookerfirst made his ecological expedition in eastern Nepal from October through December of 1848, a flock of mountain sheep was grazing around the Tumling-Jaubari area of Ilam district.

One hundred and seventy-two years since then, the region has witnessed a tragic loss of the mountain sheep, called Argali. Encroachment of natural habitats and human activity have also depleted other mammalian species.

Hooker's expedition travelled northwards from Taplejung to the valleys of Yangma and Yalung, and hisHimalayan Journalaccount of the trip is the first ecological documentation of eastern Nepal's rich biodiversity. He was accompanied by shooter and specimen collectors ofBrian H...