World Markhor Day celebrated

Islamabad: The World Markhor Day was observed in Pakistan, like in other parts of the world on Friday.

Markhor is the national animal of Pakistan which is mostly found in Gilgit-Baltistan, Chitral, Kalash Valley, Hunza and Balochistan.

Apart from Pakistan, Markhor is also found in India, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and few other areas.

According to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Markhor is also counted among such animals whose species are facing the threat of extinction.

The United Nations, approved a recent resolution presented by 8 countries including Pakistan, announced to celebrate this day on May 24 every year. The resolution said that the Markhor is an important animal found in Central and South Asia whose habitat protection is of vital ecological importance, contributing to the development of the regional economy, improving conservation efforts of other animals and sustainable tourism.

In this resolution, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) was asked to organise an annual World Markhor Day.

After 2014, the number of Markhors in Pakistan increased 2 times in a decade, during which the number of Markhors had not decreased in any year compared to the previous year.

The UN General Assembly has proclaimed 24 May the International Day of the Markhor, and following the same we celebrate it for the first time in 2024.

The UNEP, in its recent media release, appealed to the member states, organizations of the United Nations system, namely the United Nations Environment Programme, other international and regional organizations, civil society, non-governmental organizations and other relevant stakeholders to observe the International Day of the Markhor.

An IUCN, local chapter official told APP that marking this day would help invites all relevant stakeholders to give due consideration to enhancing international and regional cooperation in support of efforts to conserve the markhor, given its role in the overall ecosystem.