MARKHOR In the cross hairs of unbrideled human footprints
By Col Satish Singh Lalotra
‘Conservtion’ is a state of harmony between men and nature. -Aldo Leopold.
Conservation is a ‘crisis discipline’ one demanded by the unusual rates of loss; one demanded by mission driven zest to conserve everything that is being identified with a human race.
On analogical terms , ecology and conservation have the same relationship as physiology and medicine. Whereas medicine is mission oriented and aims to understand what went wrong and how to treat it, on the other hand physiology studies the working of the human body.
Extrapolating the essence of conservation on a very unique animal found in the northern most parts of our country and even in neighbouring Pakistan, the elusive ‘Markhor’ has never ever been so assiduously followed for insuring its existence on this planet .
The state or official animal of Pakistan, Markhor had been found in abundance in our part of Jammu and Kashmir too which has off late now been reeling under the unabated construction or development activities in not only the UT of Jammu and Kashmir but neighbouring Pakistan too.
Markhor like its ungulate cousin the ‘Kashmir stag’ locally known as the ‘Hangul’ has been vying strongly to stay afloat despite gargantuan problems with which it has been now beset with.
Like the above mentioned ‘Hangul’, Kashmir is the home to ‘Markhor’ ,a near -threatened species . Officially they exist in the protected areas at Hirpora (Shopian) and Kazinag. For many decades now, the ‘Wildlife trust of India (WTI) in collaboration with the department of wild life protection (DWP) in Jammu & Kashmir is working to conserve the so called ‘Pir Panchal Markhor’.
Kashmir is the only home to the critically endangered ‘Hangul’ (Cervus Hanglu) and the near threatened ‘Markhor'(Capra Falconeri).
Of the region’s 5 national parks (NPs) ,the Hirpora wildlife sanctuary in Shopian is special. Alongside the Kazinag national park in Uri, it hosts a viable population of Kashmir Markhor. Spread over 341 square kilometers, the Hirpora WLS around 80 kms south of Srinagar was established in 1987.
Its location is just fascinating to say the least. Surrounded by Gumsar Lake in the north, Hirpora hamlet in the north-east, Rupri to the east, Saransar to the south and Pir panchal pass to its west, it encompasses various habitat types including mixed coniferous forests, sub-alpine scrub forests, sub-aplpine meadows and alpine habitats.
Besides Markhor ,the largest wild goat in the world, the sanctuary hosts black bear, Himalayan wood pecker, spotted forktail, western Tragopan, rock bunting, Rufus-breasted accentor, Blue rock thrush, white capped redstart, Himalayan griffon, common stonechat and grey wagtail.
Conservation is such a humongous exercise that it entails a plethora of activities with divergent agendas, people . Places, experiences all hemming into a tapestry of processes which primarily hinges on the active participation of locals /communities of that very place. Compared to Kazinag ,however Hirpora supports a smaller population of this elusive ungulate. During the summers, migratory herders from Rajouri and Poonch visit the sanctuary.
Incidentally the Pir Panchal Markhor is listed as ‘Near threatened species’ in the IUCN Red list of threatened species and falls under the schedule-1 of the wildlife (protection) act of 1972.
In order to keep a constant watch over the elusive animal, ‘Markhor watcher’ groups comprising enthusiastic and passionate youths from local youths /local communities have been formed who receive training and are equipped with techniques and gear to collect information during patrolling . Their role is vital for the overall conservation of the region as also in prevention and detecting poaching.
In fact it has been given to understand that to boost up the count of this elusive animal anti-grazing camps and ‘Critical Markhor habitats’ have been identified through field surveys that must remain free from livestock grazing.
Actually materialistic gains have ruled the roost for quite some time where non-traditional herding practices have been the order of the day with dedicated pastures being sub-let for these gains. Of all these activities the ‘Mughal road’ which connects Shopian and Bufliaz splits this sanctuary into two sections.
This historic route poses a significant threat to the wildlife in the area. Experts in conservation have suggested speed bumps, better infrastructure along this Mughal road. The transmission lines are another big headache to be dealt with in this sanctuary.
The poachers particularly are now armed with firearms that require a very systematic approach by the UT administration to get over this menace with active coordination of forest department, police and the locals. With the approach of winters these poachers become very active since all these ungulates migrate to lower altitudes.
In coordination with the ‘Markhor watcher groups’ these fire arms have been confiscated to a very large extent. Livestock grazing is more prevalent in Hirpora compared to Kazinag. It should be known to all that these mountain ungulates (hoofed animals) are directly affected by climate changes and their consequent effect on induced changes in the plant phenology that in turn has a direct bearing on their reproduction and population growth.
The vulnerability of the Himalayas to climate change underscores the need to be pro-active in conservation measures and sustainable practices to mitigate the potential risks amongst these unique species and ecosystems.
When I was posted at Gurez valley from 2003 to 2004 , the Markhor population in this sanctuary ranged from 45 to 55 individuals , with an equal number of sightings . These sightings at that time were a seminal indication of the prolific activities that were undertaken by these ungulates. But not so now. In the recent census that was carried out, only three (3) Markhors were sighted thus attributing to their sudden decline in numbers .
The rapid decline could be attributed to a number of factors ranging from heavy livestock grazing, traffic on the Mughal road, and presence of transmission lines, and such like development activities.
Hirpora and Kazinag are the two most crucial protected areas known for historically supporting viable populations of Markhor in the Indian sub-continent.
For nearly two decades the ‘Markhor project’ has been a top priority ‘species recovery initiative’ at WTI that is working in close coordination with the DWP (DEPARTMENT OF WILD LIFE PROTECTION) of Jammu and Kashmir.
Since this valley falls on the cross border route for militants for their ingress and egress their habitats are being regularly under a constant watch by both the militants and the security forces leading to their further elusiveness for sightings.
In the year 2003 and 2004 large-scale CI/CT operations In Gurez valley were undertaken on specific intelligence inputs with specific locations like Makalwein glacier and Kishansar/Vishansar lake areas coming for special attention.
Now all these places were the natural habitats of Hanguls for decades to no end. In addition the Gujjar and Bakerwals too venture with their entire livestock in these areas as late as September every year putting these hapless ungulates in direct confrontation and existence to threat.
Be that as it may, ultimately it is the raising of awareness and involving local communities like the ‘Sheena’ or ‘Dardic’ in places like Gurez and even in Hirpora /Kazinag with sustainable tourism practices that it can be ensured these mountain ungulates survive for our future progenies to understand and protect.
As Aldo Leopold has rightly told—‘Conservation is a state of harmony between men and nature’— unquote. To maintain that harmony all forces of nature have to come together and pitch in with their might, lest that harmony is disharmonized for these hapless mountain ungulates as well as we humans only to ruminate at our own peril.
(The writer is a retired army officer)
