Sample Itinerary

Itinerary varies from term to term and is subject to change. Program activities take place 6 days a week with one day free.

• Week 1: Welcome to Bhutan! Move into dorms, meet roommates and the SFS staff, and attend program orientation. Tour Paro Town. Head to Thimphu (capital city) – cultural performance, lecture on embodying cultural landscapes, visit to textile museum. Get fitted for kiras and ghos – the national dress of Bhutan. Visit the gigantic Buddha Dordenma. Lectures on Himalayan ecosystems, big cat species, conservation strategies, and environmental governance in Bhutan. Set up camera traps near the Center.
• Week 2: Head north to the Jigme Dorji National Park stopping in Damji before heading to Punakha and Phobjikha Valley. Lectures on snow leopard ecology, ranging behavior and prey species. High-altitude tiger camera trap exercise and socio-economic surveys to explore big cat conservation efforts and challenges to communities. Visit hot springs, temples, and archaeological sites. Raft the Punakha River.
• Week 3: Continue expedition with a visit to Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park. Lectures on tiger conservation. Camera trapping and GPS telemetry field exercises. Learn about occupancy and distribution mapping methods. Conduct a biodiversity survey of big cat prey species. Stop at Dochula Pass on return to the Center in Paro. Bhutanese cultural dance activity.
• Week 4: Analyze week 1 camera trap data and discuss climate impacts to big cat species. Complete a cat conservation action plan or a conservation fundraising project proposal and present to the class. Bhutanese cooking class. Final exam. Hike to famous Tiger’s Nest (Takstsang) Monastery. Re-entry exercises and room cleanup. Closing activities. Head home.

SFS 3191 Tracking and Conservation of Big Cats in the Himalayas (4 credits)

is an interdisciplinary, field-based course focused on understanding key issues and challenges associated with conservation of wild cats and associated species. Bhutan is home to 10 wild cat species, with the snow leopard, tiger and the clouded leopard being the most charismatic big cat species and Bhutan is increasingly seen as the last biodiversity refugia. Students will be introduced to the socio-political and cultural significance of Himalayan landscapes and biodiversity, with a special focus on these charismatic species. Interactions with stakeholders from the government, academia, local people, and civil society will enable students to understand field realities of changing landscapes and human-wildlife conflicts. Students will learn camera trapping techniques and associated data analysis skills to estimate population sizes and map species distribution ranges in a GIS. Students will also be introduced to radio-telemetry. A final student project will aim at developing either a conservation project proposal or an adaptive species management plan for a designated landscape.

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