The International Day of Markhor is observed globally Saturday and highlights the need to protect one of Central and South Asia’s most iconic and organic vital species.
Markhor (Capra Falconeri), known for its striking cork -shaped horns, resident mountainous regions of Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Tadsjikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It is adapted to heights between 600 and 3,600 meters in robust, slightly wooded terrain.
It is also Pakistan’s national animals.
The United Nations General Assembly formally appointed on May 24 as the International Day of Markhor.
The day was first marked in 2024 and calls on the UN Member States, civil society and global stakeholders to promote preservation and regional cooperation.
Despite its cultural and ecological significance, Markhor remains threatened. Habitat loss, illegal hunting, including poaching and climate change continues to jeopardize the species. All recognized subspecies-inclusive the blunt-horned, straight-horned and Bukharan Markhor-considered as threatened or critically threatened.
Markhor was categorized as “near threatened” at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List in 2014 and has been built in addition to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) since 1992.
With an estimated 5,700 mature individuals left in the wild, conservationists warn that urgent action is needed. They protect Markhor, they claim not only protect biodiversity, but also support local economies and encourage sustainable tourism.
