The UN General Assembly proclaimed 24 May the International Day of the Markhor.
About Markhor
- The Markhor (Capra falconeri) is the largest wild goat in the world.
- The markhor is an iconic and ecologically significant species found across the mountainous regions of Central and South Asia, including Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
- In India, the sub species is found only in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
- The greatest threats to the survival of the markhor are habitat loss, illegal hunting, including poaching, and climate change.
- The markhor was categorized as “near threatened” in 2014 and is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, and has been included in Appendix I to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora since 1992.
- The species is enlisted in Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
- Besides its ecological value, the markhor is a valuable species that contributes to the local economy.
