All agreed that the journey was worthwhile - the group came back with samples of wildlife that could turn out to be new species.

Isolated from the rest of the world by a halo of snow-capped mountains on the southern slope of the Himalayas, Medog is nurtured by currents of warm and humid air from the Indian Ocean.

Its unmatched biodiversity contains vast ecosystems that range from alpine meadows to tropical rainforests, long making it an Eden for ecologists and biologists.

The scientists' 16-day expedition, part of a new study called the Rapid Assessment Program (RAP), enabled the team comprising the country's leading field biologists to see Medog for themselves and learn more about the isolated area.

Altogether, the biologists collected 47 samples of about 16 species of small-sized mammals, more than 160 samples of over 30 species of frogs and reptiles, and more than 1,200 samples of nearly 100 species of ants. They also recorded more than 170 species of birds and shot pictures of a rare leopard cat in the wild.