Impact of Drought: Thirsty Markhors Descend from Highlands
The
ongoing drought in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) has forced the region’s
endangered and highly precious Markhors to descend from their habitats
in search of water.
About
a dozen Markhors were seen last week on a mountain adjacent to the
Karakoram International University (KIU), situated on the junction of
Gilgit and Hunza River.
The herd returned after having water.
Conservationists blame the ongoing drought for the Markhors’ descent from their habitat in highlands.
“Wild
animals come down, searching for water, when drought persists,” said
Ghulam Mustafa, a conservationist in Gilgit, the region’s capital city
which is yet to receive its first snowfall or rains for this winter.
The descent also puts this precious species, whose trophy hunting fee in international market is over $55,000, in grave danger.
Protecting the species
Given
the species’ endangered status and importance, the university has taken
steps to provide security and water for the animals at appropriate
points.
After
sighting the rare species around KIU, the university management called
an emergency meeting to facilitate the wild animals searching for water,
an official at KIU told The Express Tribune.
“The director estates and security at KIU
was assigned the task of arranging security and water at appropriate
points for the wild animals, which are often subject to illegal
hunting,” the official added.
“It
will be a good idea if some water is stored at some elevation so that
the herd does not need to come down in the settlements,” said Director
Estates and Security Maj (retd) Altaf Hussain.
He added that he made a visit to the possible route of the specie and devised a plan for storing water and some food.
“It is our collective responsibility to conserve the unique biodiversity of this region,” he added.
Shabbir Mir
The Express Tribune
