MARKHORS IN KASHMIR

August 25, 2005

Rare goats gain from peace on India-Pakistan border

www.chinaview.cn 2005-08-24 16:15:20

BEIJING, Aug. 24 -- A rare majestic goat called the markhor has made a

comeback in Kashmir following the ceasefire agreement between the Indian and

Pakistani armies in November 2003.

The animal has not been seen for years as it either fell victim to or was

scared away by regular artillery and machinegun fire across its high-altitude

habitat.

The markhor (Capra falconeri) is the world's largest species of goat and is

recognised by its trademark spiraling horns that can grow more than a metre long

-- which also makes the animal prized for traditional Asian medicine.

Wildlife authorities in Kashmir said the goat had not been sighted since the

mid-1990s because of rising tension on the Kashmir frontier.

But a three-month survey earlier this year by wildlife experts sighted 115

markhors in 35 herds. Experts say the size of the population sighted is

sufficient for the species' recovery.

Experts said there were an estimated 250-300 markhors in Indian Kashmir in

1977.

The goat, which has a shaggy winter coat ranging from light brown to black,

lives in semi-arid cliffside mountain areas of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan,

Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

It has been hunted for its horns, hoofs and meat, depleting its numbers. In

the 1970s, there was estimated to be between 20,000-25,000 markhors worldwide.

By 1997, the Worldwide Fund for Nature put their number at just a few thousand.

It is listed as endangered by the World Conservation Union.

Although the new sightings were good news, conservationists said they were

worried the markhor's habitat had been divided by an electrified fence built by

India to stop incursions of Islamic militants into Indian Kashmir.

" The fencing on the border to control infiltration of militants has created

permanent barriers for the wild animals also, " said the markhor survey report.

(Source: CRIENGLISH.com)

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