Himalayan Ibex

The Himalayan lbex is indigenous to Pakistan's Himalayan and Karakoram ranges. Mostly the ibex can explore in Kanday and Hushe valleys smoothly. Northern areas can be reached by flight to Gilgit and Skardu as well as the Karakoram highway which goes to Southern China. December to March is suitable for lbex as the snow brings them to lower areas. The coat coloration varies widely across ibex’s range. The general color of the pelage is a light tan, with the undersides lighter. In winter, mature males become much darker, with varying patches of white on the neck and back. Males have a beard. Both sexes have horns. Females show slender, shorter, backward curving horns, while males have massive horns, flattened on their front edge and roughly triangular in cross-section. The Himalayan ibex (Capra ibex sibirica), a large and heavily built mountain goat is the most numerous wild ungulate in Pakistan. They live in groups, in mountainous regions ranging from 2,000 m to 5,500 m in rocky terrains and open alpine meadows. The Himalayan ibex provides a food base to a wide array of carnivores including snow leopards. They are coveted trophies for hunters whose license fees help impoverished communities, who, in turn, help conserve biodiversity. Thus, their long-term survival is not only crucial for preserving nature but helps in sustaining local human populations as well. SLF’s recent study estimates a 26,510 km’ area to be suitable habitat for the species, comprising 38% of the Gilgit-Baltistan region. Most of the suitable habitat falls in the Karakoram range, followed by the Hindu Kush and the Himalayas. Annual precipitation, annual mean temperature, and precipitation seasonality are key factors that determine habitat suitability for ibex. However, given the onset of climate change, the species will lose 30-60% of its habitat, particularly in the Himalayan and Hindu Kush ranges Centre of the species range is also likely to shift eastwards.