On May 2, 2024, the United Nations General Assembly declared May 24 as the ‘International Day of the Markhor’, after the iconic and ecologically significant wild goat (Capra falconeri) found across the mountainous regions of Central and South Asia. The first observance took place last Friday. iStock photo showing male markhor.
Found in Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, the markhor is the ultimate symbol of High Mountain Asia. While perfectly adapted to the environment of some of the highest mountains on earth such as the Himalayas and the Karakoram, the markhor now faces a host of threats to its existence. iStock photo showing a male and female markhor.
The greatest threats to the survival of the markhor are habitat loss, illegal hunting, including poaching, and climate change, according to the UN. It was categorised as ‘Near Threatened’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2014. It has been included in Appendix I to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora since 1992. iStock showing a male Tajik markhor.
“Preserving the markhor and its natural habitat is an ecological imperative and a significant opportunity to bolster the regional economy, foster conservation efforts and promote sustainable tourism and economic growth and that conservation efforts will benefit the ecosystem,” the UN notes on its website. iStock photo showing a male Turkmenian markhor.
The markhor has a long history in the subcontinent. The Mughal Emperor Jahangir, a scientist in his own right, had crossed two male Markhor with seven female Barbary goats. Today though, it is restricted mostly to two protected areas in Jammu and Kashmir: The Kajinag National Park in Baramulla and the Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary in Shopian district. iStock photo showing a male and female markhor.
