The Astor markhor or flare-horned markhor (''Capra falconeri falconeri'') is a subspecies of the

markhor The markhor (''Capra falconeri'') is a large ''Capra'' species native to Central Asia, the Karakoram, and the Himalayas. It is listed on the IUCN Red List as Near Threatened since 2015. The markhor is the national animal of Pakistan, where it ...

, native to

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

and northern

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. To the west it reaches the easternmost parts of Afghanistan. The range of the Astor markhor is very scattered. At one time considered an "

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

", conservation efforts have had some success and the largest subpopulation in Pakistan may now exceed 1000 individuals. As a result, the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has rated its status as "

near-threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qualify fo ...

Ecology

The Astor markhor lives in the scrubland and open woodland that clothe the rugged slopes of the mountains among which it lives at altitudes of up to . It seldom goes above the tree line; in summer it feeds largely on grasses and leaves but in winter it mainly browses on shrubs and woody material. One or two kids are born after a gestation period of 135 to 170 days. The goats are hunted by

snow leopard The snow leopard (''Panthera uncia''), also known as the ounce, is a Felidae, felid in the genus ''Panthera'' native to the mountain ranges of Central Asia, Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable species, Vulnerable on the IUCN Red ...

wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; plural, : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been reco ...

and

lynx A lynx is a type of wild cat. Lynx may also refer to: Astronomy * Lynx (constellation) * Lynx (Chinese astronomy) * Lynx X-ray Observatory, a NASA-funded mission concept for a next-generation X-ray space observatory Places Canada * Lynx, Ontar ...

, and the kids may fall prey to

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of p ...

Status

At one time ''C. f. falconeri'' was assessed as being ''

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

'' but it is now rated as "

" as there are now estimated to be more individuals than was thought at one time. The 2011 estimate for the total population is around 5,800 individuals. These are divided into a number of sub-populations, only one of which numbers over 1000 individuals. The main threat it faces is being hunted. Even where the animal is protected by legislation as in Afghanistan, poaching takes place and the ban on hunting is not enforced. In India it is fully protected and is present in three wildlife reserves, the

Limber Wildlife Sanctuary Limber Wildlife Sanctuary or Kazing Wildlife Sanctuary (also written as Qazing) is situated in Jammu & Kashmir. It is the fourth national park in the state which focuses the attention towards conserving the rare markhor wild goat. It is also a pa ...

, and the Lachipora Wildlife Sanctuary and the Hirapora Wildlife Sanctuary. These three areas are planned to be combined to create the Kazinag National Park in order to protect the Astor markhor and other mammals such as the

and the

Himalayan brown bear The Himalayan brown bear (''Ursus arctos isabellinus''), also known as the Himalayan red bear, isabelline bear or Dzu-Teh, is a subspecies of the brown bear and is known from northern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, northern India, west China an ...

. In Pakistan, the Astor markhor is present in a number of different wildlife sanctuaries, including the

Naltar Wildlife Sanctuary The Naltar Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area located in the Naltar Valley near Nomal, in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. The Sanctuary was created on 22 November 1975 and consists of a steep-sided forested valley with high mountains on either sid ...

in the northern part of the country.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2043037 Capra (genus) Mammals of Pakistan