The Markhor hero of Balochistan

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The Markhor hero of Balochistan

Unfortunately, despite saving two important wildlife species of Pakistan, Tareen was never awarded by his own country


Rina Saeed Khan
June 26, 2020

Considered the father of trophy hunting in Pakistan, Sardar Naseer Tareen passed away on June 24th in Quetta at the age of 81. I first got to know him years ago when I travelled with him to the Toba Kakar Range on the border of Afghanistan to take a look at the Suleiman Markhor (straight horned species of wild goat). On the long jeep ride from Quetta to Kila Saifullah and then onwards to the border, Sardar Naseer joked with me that we would be staying at the local “Holiday Inn” only to arrive at a cluster of mud huts he had built for guests on a small ridge with no flushing toilets!

Sardar Naseer called himself an “accidental environmentalist” because by training he was a filmmaker.
“I was not a conservationist… my interest lay in filmmaking. I was pushed into the pool in a manner of speaking,” he recalled in his slightly American accented English as we relaxed outside the “Holiday Inn” sipping hot tea after the arduous jeep ride from Kila Saifullah.
At the time I met him, he was already in his late 60s. He had all the sophistication of a globetrotter who was equally at home in both the east and the west. He remained a bachelor to the end, often saying “this is why I have all the time in the world for my work!”

Sardar Naseer outside his 'Holiday Inn' in Torghar.


He told me that he had attended Lahore’s Government College from 1953-58 before leaving for the USA saying,

“I was going to study International Relations… but instead I switched to communication and got admitted to the California Institute of Arts”.

While Sardar Naseer thoroughly enjoyed his studies in filmmaking, back in Balochistan his conservative family got upset over their son’s unconventional decision to pursue the arts. He nevertheless completed his training and decided to stay on in the USA. At the time his father was the Sardar (or chieftain) of the Tareen tribe. Their ancestral home is an old fort located about 30 km north of Pishin near Quetta.

“I never really had intentions of settling in the USA – I was always running back and forth and one day I said ‘let’s go home’”, he recalled.

Sardar Naseer came back to Pakistan after 24 years of living in the USA determined to reconnect to his tribal roots. In 1983, upon his return to Pakistan, he thought of making a feature length film on Balochistan’s culture. The government asked him to first make a short film on the wildlife of Balochistan. He soon discovered that the animals they had listed only existed in the files of the provincial government’s wildlife department.

Sardar Naseer concentrated his filming efforts around the area known as Torghar in the tribal areas of north-eastern Balochistan. Called the “Black Mountain”, Torghar consists of a series of dark coloured upturned ridges where the altitude varies between 2,500-3,300 m. These ridges are home to one of the last pockets of Afghan Urial and Suleiman Markhor in the world. Very few Markhor are found outside Pakistan – the Suleiman Markhor is the straight-horned species that exists only in Balochistan and Khyber Pukhtunkwa.

Called the “Black Mountain”, Torghar consists of a series of dark coloured upturned ridges.


Sardar Naseer realised that the wildlife of Torghar would soon disappear if no measures were taken right away. Aside from indiscriminate hunting, massive deforestation was making survival difficult for the wildlife of the area. In the town of Qila Saifullah, Sardar Naseer discussed the issue with the late Nawab Taimur Shah Jogezai, who was then chief of the Kakar tribe. Sardar Naseer Tareen is related to the Jogezais through several marriages between the two families. They both agreed that something must be done before it was too late and in 1984 Sardar Naseer initiated a conservation programme in Torghar.

I still remember chatting with him outside the mud huts, the moon rising up from behind the mountains and lighting up the lunar-like landscape. Somewhere along these ridges were the Markhor. “You’ll find out what it is like tomorrow morning… it’s not that easy to spot a Markhor”, he told me. I remembered those words later when I found myself struggling up a precipitous mountain ridge, with the loose rocks rolling beneath my feet and my hands grasping for the shrubs that grow high up on these cliffs. At the top, we hid behind some rocks and finally spotted a female Markhor feeding on shrubs on a distant ridge. A tele-spotter was set up for me to have a look. While the Markhor prefer cliffs, the Urial prefer the plateaus above the cliffs and the terrain along their bases.

The author on the way up the mountains of Torghar to look at the Suleiman Markhor in the wild.


Thanks to Sardar Naseer the Suleiman Markhor and the Afghan Urial have a safe future in Torghar. In 1984 he contacted the United States Fish and Wildlife Service for technical assistance and they sent some of their experts to Quetta. Their discussions with Sardar Naseer led to the development of a “game guard” programme at Torghar under the title of the “Torghar Conservation Project”. Surveys were conducted and when animal populations had recovered sufficiently, a limited number of permits were sold to trophy hunters – primarily foreign hunters. The project was launched in 1985 with seven game guards who were former hunters who agreed to put down their weapons.


The project continued to advance slowly as the years passed. Systematic trophy hunting took place every year from 1986 onwards and the proceeds were used to hire more game guards and provide some financial aid to the local community. Older animals were carefully selected for culling so that the herds’ breeding rates were not affected. Additional game guards were hired every year. At present, there are around 150 game guards protecting approximately 1,800 square km of Torghar. Today, the Suleiman Markhor’s trophy fetches up to $60,000 and is one of the rarest in the world while the Afghan Urial trophy fetches $16,000. Around 20% of the trophy fee goes to the government and the rest to the community. Sardar Naseer’s pioneering efforts of using trophy hunting as a conservation tool is now being replicated in the Gilgit Baltistan region. The Torghar project is now recognised as one of the biggest success stories in conservation in Pakistan.

A hunted Suleiman Markhor in Torghar which is one of the rarest trophies in the world.



Torghar is now home to the largest population of these unique animals in the world: from barely 100 Suleiman Markhor in 1985 (when the project first started), there are now over 3,500 Markhor in the area. Sardar Naseer’s efforts to save the Markhor have won him international acclaim – the Dutch have awarded him a knighthood in the Order of the Golden Ark and the French have awarded him their L’Ordere National du Merite. In recent years due to his failing health he had started spending most of his time in Quetta. However, the project that he founded is flourishing. In April 1994, the Torghar Conservation Project was converted into an NGO called the Society for Torghar Environmental Protection. Largely self-sufficient since its inception, the project is the largest employer in the area. The carefully managed trophy hunting has ensured the project’s long-term survival.


Unfortunately, despite saving two important wildlife species of Pakistan, Sardar Naseer was never awarded by his own country. He might have passed on but there is still time to recognise our national Markhor hero.

(All photos courtesy of the author)

WRITTEN BY: Rina Saeed Khan
The writer is an award-winning environmental journalist based in Pakistan. She holds an MA in Environment and Development from SOAS Univeristy and received the Earth Journalism Award in Copenhagen in 2009 for her climate change reporting.

 

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https://tribune.com.pk/article/97034/sardar-naseer-tareen-the-markhor-hero-of-balochistan

 

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https://greenglobaltravel.com/facts-about-the-markhor-goat-national-animal-of-pakistan/










MARKHOR BODIES

1) Male markhors are massive. They can grow to well over 200 pounds, have an exaggerated amount of hair extending from their chin/chest and, most notably, have spectacular spiraling horns atop their heads. Females’ horns are less dramatic, their throats are less hairy, and their bodies a lot less stout. However, both sexes graze on grass and live in mountain elevations as high as 3,000 meters.

2) There are three subspecies– the flare-horned markhor, the Kabul (or straight-horned) markhor and the Bukharan markhor– which can be differentiated by the shape and extension of their horns. But even though there are subtle differences between them, these species all look more or less the same.

3) The flare-horned or Astor markhor has horns that split and face two different directions, resembling an opened banana peel. This subspecies is the most widespread of the three, with the largest population. It can be found in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

4) The straight-horned (or Kabul) markhor has horns that stand straight up from their head, but they are spiral-shaped. These markhors can be found in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and it is Though named for the capital of Afghanistan, these days the Kabul markhor is primarily found in the mountains of Balochistan Province, Pakistan. This is thanks in large part to the Torghar Conservation Project, a partnership between tribal leaders, local communities, and the U.S. Fish & Wildife Service.

5) The Bukharan markhor is the most familiar-looking of the three subspecies, with its impressive twisted horns (which unfortunately make them a target for trophy hunters). They’re native to Afghanistan as well as neighboring central Asian countries, including Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

The Flare Horned or Astor Markhor Goat by By Rufus46 CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons

6) Markhors are “sexually dimorphic,” meaning that the male and female species do not look exactly the same and are easily distinguishable from one another. For markhors, the biggest difference is seen in their size, with males weighing twice as much as females. While both have beard-like hair, the male markhor’s hair is considerably longer and thicker.

7) Living in the mountainous terrain requires the ability to move up and down the hilly, often rocky terrain. Despite their large size, markhors are extremely skilled climbers. These gorgeous goats can even climb trees and other slanted structures, including seemingly dangerous cliffs, in order to forage for food and evade predators.

8) The coats of Markhors come in a few standard colors. Usually their bodies are tan or grayish, with white chests and underbellies. But sometimes this coat is a reddish color. Their legs are black and white and their faces are dark. The horns of a markhor can range in color as well, so these creatures do not all look exactly the same in every season.

9) Just as we humans wear different clothes for different seasons, a markhor’s coat grows and sheds depending on the time of year. In warmer months the animal sheds so that its fur becomes less dense, whereas in the winter it grows longer and thicker to insulate the markhor’s body.

10) Another useful genetic adaptation these animals have is their feet. The hooves of the markhor are wide, helping them balance when climbing or simply walking in their often uneven habitat. This wide stance helps them avoid wobbling, so they do not fall off their mountain homes!

Photo by Vassil [CC0], from Wikimedia Commons


MARKHOR BEHAVIORS

11) Some animals are more extroverted than others, but the markhor can be either social or solitary depending on their sex. Female markhors usually travel in small herds containing 8 to 10 members, and are generally very social with one another. Male markhors, on the other hand, spend most of their time alone when they’re not trying to mate.

12) Male markhors use their horns when fighting for females during mating season. But there are lots of other practical uses for these stunning horns as well: They use them for digging in the ground and to remove bark from trees. Much like the rings on a tree, there are rings on a markhor’s horns that can tell you how old the animal is.

13) Strong senses are vital for prey animals such as the markhor to survive in the wild. To help them avoid predators, markhors have extremely keen, senses of sight and smell. Both abilities help them to detect predators from a distance as well as recognize their home territory.

14) The markhor’s preferred mountain habitat has quite a few major predators, including big cats like snow leopards and lynxes as well as wolves. Occasionally, even golden eagles have been observed to hunt younger markhors as well.

15) In order to eat, markhors will go to great lengths… or, in this case, heights! Not only can they stand on their hind legs to reach for their food, but markhors have been known to climb trees in order to reach the tastiest bits. It may be a bit bizarre to see a goat scamper up a tree or stretch upwards on two legs, but it’s a strategy that clearly works for this species.

Markhor enjoying the sunlight, photo via pixabay


16) Feeding is serious business for markhors, and takes up a considerable amount of time. These herbivores spend more than half their day grazing, about 12-14 hours on average! They mostly feed on grass in the warmer months. But once winter arrives they switch to other plants, including shrubs and twigs, since grass does not grow as easily in the cold.

17) When they’re not busy feeding, these animals like to rest as well. They usually forage for food in the early morning and late afternoon, and can often be seen lazing about and chewing their cud in the middle of the day. This propensity for being active twice a day makes the markhor a diurnal species.

18) Markhors may know how to climb, but, as the old saying goes, “what goes up must come down.” In the frigid winter months, markhors retreat to a lower elevation in order to avoid foraging in the snow. Once it warms up and everything melts, they head back up into higher elevations again.

19) As natives of the mountains of Asia, markhors typically live at elevations ranging from 600 to 3,600 meters (1969-11,811 feet). The prefer to live in areas with some degree of foliage, such as oak trees, with other favorite varieties being pine, juniper, and fir. But they usually do not travel higher than the tree line, in order to keep an open watch for predators.

20) Although markhors are substantially larger than typical goats, they are very similar in the sounds they make. The “alarm call” of the markhor sounds much like that of a common goat, showing a commonality between the two related species despite some major differences.

Young male Markhors play-fighting by Rennett Stowe via CC 2.0

MARKHOR MATING & PARENTING

21) Male markhors’ feisty sides come out during mating season. To win the desired female’s interest, her male suitors will fight aggressively by interlocking horns and wrestling until one of them falls over. The last male standing wins the prize!

22) Breeding patterns for markhors are much like those of typical goats. The gestation period for pregnant female markhors is 135 to 170 days– about half as long as a human pregnancy. Markhors breed only once a year, usually giving birth to one or two “kids.”

23) Unlike many other animals, markhor mating typically occurs in the winter (rather than the spring). Babies are usually born in a shallow hole in the ground sometime between late April and early June. They’re able to walk quite soon after being born, and travel with their mother fairly quickly.

24) Mothers provide all the nourishment (milk) and protection for their kids, with male markhors taking no role in parenting. The young are weaned at an age of 5 to 6 months, but some kids will remain with their mothers for considerably longer if they’re not ready to venture out on their own.

25) There’s a stark difference in the age of maturity between male and female markhors. Female markhors reach sexual maturity more than twice as early as males, with females being sexually mature at 2 years old and males at 5 years old. This could explain why the males spend so much time alone!

Markhor Standing in Grass by Eric Kilby via CC 2.0

MARKHOR CONSERVATION

21) When GGT first wrote about the markhor back in 2011, the world’s population was down to around 2,500 adults. In the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, the number was uncomfortably sitting around 400. The species was considered Endangered until 2015.

22) Thankfully those numbers have started to bounce back in recent years due to improved conservation efforts. The markhor is currently labeled as “near threatened” by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, with a total population of less than 10,000 worldwide.

23) Humans are the main predators of the markhor due to the desire for their remarkable horns. They are frequent victims of trophy hunting, a scourge that’s also affecting beloved animals such as elephants (which are hunted for their ivory tusks) and rhinos (which are hunted for their horns). Although hunting the markhor is illegal in Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan (see exceptions below), poaching still occurs and their horns are subsequently sold on the black market.

24) Although hunting markhors is mostly illegal, the government of Pakistan does issue four permits to hunt each of the three subspecies of Markhor every year. So there’s a total of 12 markhor hunting licenses sold annually, in open auctions. The proceeds are supposedly used to fund conservation efforts.

25) Markhors are also threatened due to the dwindling of their preferred habitats. Since the 1980s, their home in Pakistan has experienced ever-increasing deforestation for a number of reasons, including logging for fuel and building materials, coal mining, and overgrazing of domestic livestock. This has substantially decreased the markhor’s grazing area, which makes their food sources more scarce.

26) Poaching and habitat loss aren’t the only causes of concern for the markhor population. These animals are also susceptible to certain diseases that are often contracted from goats. Caprine Pleuropneumonia (CCPP) has spread from domesticated goats to the markhor in recent years. Cross-breeding also contributes to a reduction of the population, since goats and markhors often compete for food.

27) Markhors are sometimes sought out by humans for medicinal purposes. In traditional Chinese medicine, their ground up horns have long been thought to possess healing properties, and are used to treat various maladies.

28) Markhors have historically been hunted primarily for their meat. Goat meat is eaten throughout many countries in southern Asia, and a 200-pound wild goat could provide quite a lot of sustenance for people who do not have easy access to other types of meat.

29) When the British occupied India (which then included modern-day Pakistan as well), hunters detailed the difficulties of trying to hunt the markhor. The fact that the animals lived high in the mountains west of Ladakh made tracking them problematic. And the treacherous conditions of the Northern Indian winter made it hard to hunt for anything, much less an agile goat adept at hiding in the mountains.

30) These days, all of the markhor subspecies are protected by strictly monitored, community-based conservation programs. Since poaching is severely punished, it is almost nonexistent now.

Markhor Goat photo by Rufus46 [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons


OTHER MARKHOR FACTS

31) The markhor (which is also known as the shakhawat) is the national animal of Pakistan, most likely because it can be found in several different regions throughout the country. In 2018, Pakistan International Airlines formally rebranded and added a markhor image to the tail of every plane.

32) It’s thought that the animal’s name from the Persian words mar (meaning “snake”) and chore (meaning “eater”). The origin of this name is unknown, but most likely it’s because male markhors have been known to stomp on snakes in order to kill them. But they don’t eat them (they’re herbivores, remember?); they’re just protecting their harems of females from danger.

33) Like cows, markhors can often be found chewing their cud after eating. In the process of chewing, the cud often falls out of their mouths and onto the ground. Locals insist that this substance is helpful for treating snake bites and other wounds, so it’s popular among people who prefer natural remedies.

34) The lifespan of the markhor depends entirely on the environment in which it lives. Wild markhors usually live around 12 to 13 years, while those in captivity have been known to live up to 19 years. This is because markhors in the wild are subject to the aforementioned threats (predators, deforestation, poaching, etc).

35) The male markhor’s horns can grow up to 5 feet, 4 inches, which is taller than many humans! The female’s horns tend to grow much shorter, to a length of about 10 inches. This discrepancy in horn length makes it easier to tell the difference between male and female markhors.

Photo By Eric Kilby [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

36) Much like elephants, markhors play a vital role in their ecosystem due to their spreading of seeds. Markhors mainly feed on leaves and grass, but they also eat fruit and flowers whenever possible. After digesting the food, seeds that are ingested are relased when the markhor defecates. As the animal moves around, the spreading of these seeds enables more plants (which are also food sources) to grow.
37) According to at least one scientist from the 1850s, male markhors have an unpleasant smell that’s even worse than that of a typical domestic goat. This sort of adaptation could be helpful for warding off predators or marking their territory, and it could also help people to detect them from a distance. So if you’re going to be in the vicinity of a markhor anytime soon, prepare yourself for some serious stink!

38) Scientific research is currently being conducted in order to determine how closely related the markhor is with other goat species. This research can help scientists figure out how the different species interact with one another and their environments. Legendary naturalist/biologist Charles Darwin postulated that modern goats arose from crossbreeding the markhor with wild goats.

39) Some researchers believe that the markhor may be the ancient ancestor of some popular domesticated goat breeds around the world. These include the Angora goat, the Changthangi goat of Ladakh and Tibet, the Girgentana goat of Sicily, the Bilberry goat of Ireland, and various Egyptian goat breeds.

40) Can’t make it to the Himalayas in order to see the markhor in the wild? Numerous zoos around the world have these massive goats, including the Calgary Zoo (Canada), Tatakuti Wildlife Sanctuary (India), the Bronx and Rosamond Gifford Zoos (New York), Los Angeles Zoo (California), Columbus Zoo (Ohio), and Stone Zoo (Massachusetts).

–Anika Chaturvedi & Bret Love

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

This whole region is very beautiful... im lucky to have explored the region extensively.