📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / RaiNJL
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Sikkim launches its inaugural Yak Festival to spotlight Himalayan conservation
✍️ EastMojo
🗓 30 Oct 2026, 02:33 AM
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Sikkim held its first-ever yak festival, gathering herders, tourists and conservationists to raise awareness about protecting the Himalayan ecosystem.
Sikkim inaugurated its first yak festival this week, marking a new cultural celebration in the state’s high‑altitude regions. The event brought together yak herders, local artisans, tourists and environmental groups to highlight the fragile Himalayan ecosystem.
Organisers used the platform to stress the need for sustainable grazing practices and habitat protection, urging participants to adopt measures that safeguard the region’s biodiversity. Traditional yak‑related activities, such as demonstrations of herding techniques and displays of yak‑derived products, were paired with talks on climate impacts and conservation strategies.
State officials said the festival aims to create a lasting dialogue between communities that depend on the mountains and those working to preserve them, positioning the yak as both a cultural symbol and a focal point for environmental stewardship.
The inaugural celebration is expected to become an annual event, reinforcing Sikkim’s commitment to ecological preservation while promoting responsible tourism in the Himalayas.
Organisers used the platform to stress the need for sustainable grazing practices and habitat protection, urging participants to adopt measures that safeguard the region’s biodiversity. Traditional yak‑related activities, such as demonstrations of herding techniques and displays of yak‑derived products, were paired with talks on climate impacts and conservation strategies.
State officials said the festival aims to create a lasting dialogue between communities that depend on the mountains and those working to preserve them, positioning the yak as both a cultural symbol and a focal point for environmental stewardship.
The inaugural celebration is expected to become an annual event, reinforcing Sikkim’s commitment to ecological preservation while promoting responsible tourism in the Himalayas.