Markhor

Nature 4 Minutes

There are 5 subspecies of the markhor that have been recognized, with the main differences being their location and shapes of their horns, which can differ in size and shape of the corkscrew.

The subspecies are the Astor markhor (or ‘flare-horned markhor’), Bukharan markhor, Kabul markhor, Kashmir markhor and Suleiman markhor.

Markhor are adapted to mountainous terrain and are generally found at high elevations between 2,000-12,000 feet, where females they live in herds of up to ten animals. They are excellent climbers and jumpers.

They are herbivorous, and graze in the summer and eat leaves and shoots from trees in the winter.

They have a red–brown coat in the summer, which turns to a long, grey and silky coat in the winter. Males can be distinguished by their long and heavy fringe on their throat and chest. They stand at a height of approximately 95-102cms up to 160cms.

The markhor is listed by the IUCN as near threatened, but some subspecies vary between endangered and critically endangered. The reason for their decline is due to them being overhunted for their meat and their prized horns.

There’s a high price tag to hunt Markhor

The wildlife department in Pakistan issues permits to selected bidders for trophy hunting of markhor and other species each year. The award of an annual markhor trophy hunting permit fetched a whopping $597,200 from different bidders in the winter of 2021.

The highest bidder was an offer for $160,250 for a single markhor to be hunted in a game reserve called Toshi-I in the Chitral district. This is the highest rate ever offered in history for this type of markhor trophy hunting.

80% of the proceeds from this program will be distributed to local communities. Excessive hunting has caused the population to decrease.

They are the largest of the goat family

Markhor are large goats and can reach up to 1.6m in length and weigh as much as 110kg.

Markhor corkscrew horns can grow over 60 inches

Males have much longer horns, while female horns typically only grow to 10 inches.

Markhor fight for the right to breed

While Markhor will use them in defense against predators, they will also use them against other males when fighting for a mate.

They will fight each other by lunging, locking horns and pushing each other off balance on the rocky mountain. Mating season occurs during winter and the gestational period is between 135-170 days.

Markhor do not like the cold

Markhor do not like to be in deep snow or in cold temperatures. They prefer to be in dry terrain and they have the tendency to stay close to the mountains below the altitudes of 2,200m in winter.

Markhor smell really bad!

The are known to be one of the smelliest goat species. It’s thought that their smell might help them repel predators, and mark their territory.

The Government are trying to protect the species

In Pakistan, hunting markhor is limited and only legal with expensive hunting licenses. In India, it is illegal to hunt markhor. Governments are working hard to protect the species from poaching.

In the South of the Khyber Pass in Pakistan in the tribal areas, there are no wildlife laws, so the straight horned markhor is most at risk. They require protection as there are possibly fewer than 2,000 individuals due to the scattered populations.

This total is comprised of flare-horned markhor in eastern Afghanistan and in the Chitral, Dir and western region of Pakistan at around 1,500. Many more exist further east along the upper Indus.

Markhor horns are likened to snakes

The word Markhor is derived from two Persian words, ‘Mar’ which means ‘snake’ and ‘khor’ which means eater.

In Folklore it is believed that it is able to kill snakes by using its horns and then it can eat them, although there is no evidence that this is true.

It is more likely that the Markhor has the ability to kill snakes with its strong hooves and that their horns actually resemble snakes due to their features.

The male markhor is a solitary animal

The male markhor tends to be seen alone on the open grass and clear slopes, whilst in comparison the females tend to be in herds and want to climb up to the high ridges which are rocky.  This makes them difficult to catch as they stand up on these areas.

The markhor has some unusual predators

Alongside lynx, leopards, wolves and bears – feral dogs are suspected to be threat to the markhor as they have increased in the communities.

There has been calls for more control of the feral dog population and more education around the clean environment and disposal of waste correctly for biodiversity conservation.

Incredibly golden eagles have also been reported to prey upon young markhor.

Markhor were considered one of the most challenging game species

This is due to the danger involved in hunting them in then rocky mountainous terrain at high altitudes.  Markhor are also extremely aware of their surroundings, with excellent hearing and eyesight and will quickly run and let out an alarm call from any potential threat.

It’s estimated there are under 6,000 Markhor left in the wild

Markhor are classified as a near threatened species due to its small population size, which was estimated below 6,000 in 2013.  While there are concerns over poaching and habitat destruction, ongoing conservation efforts seem to be helping maintain population levels.

SOURCE: FACT ANIMAL

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Published by pat frederick

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127 thoughts on “Markhor”

  1. Morning All!
    Filly, we’re getting your rain…lol
    we’re gonna try to bottle the last wine of this year today since tomorrow we’ll be on the road.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. TheseTruths(@thesetruths)Offline
    Wolf
    October 14, 2023 00:23

    Jonathan Turley:

    Bob Menendez is being charged as a foreign agent — so why not Hunter Biden?

    The Justice Department this week hit Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) with a superseding indictment including a new but all-too-familiar charge: being an unregistered foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

    I cannot recall another sitting member of Congress being criminally charged as a foreign agent.

    Yet even if this is the first such case, the charge has been freely used by the Justice Department in all but one case: Hunter Biden…

    Discussion of the Menendez charges, then:

    The inclusion of the FARA charge against Menendez, his wife and his associate only highlights the absence of any such charge against President Biden’s son Hunter.

    For years, some of us have raised the glaring contradiction in how the Justice Department has approached the Hunter Biden case with its treatment of past defendants like Donald Trump associate Paul Manafort.

    The Justice Department has been quick to indictment Manafort and others on FARA charges, but continues to prevaricate over such a charge for the president’s son.

    Indeed, when Menendez was charged, I wrote about the striking similarities in the cases, including the gifts and benefits showered on both men.

    They remain similar in every way except the charges…

    For many, the question is not whether Hunter has acted as an agent of foreign principals but whether the Justice Department is acting as an agent of the principal Biden.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Morning, Pat! I left the doggy door open overnight and GT came and ate the rest of her food at some point. I’ve refilled her dish and Jake is looking for her….still very dark so who knows what today will bring??? Didn’t freeze last night; 46 at the moment and the wind has finally eased up. That may change once the sun comes up. I need to make a run to Norfolk soon for creamer and half-and-half for my coffee as well as a few other items, including canned cat food so I can worm GT again.

    Well, I can now see the cursor again when I edit my comment, thankfully! I really wish I could get my hands on her to apply ear mite medicine – she is scratching at her ears a lot.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Yes, drops to put in the ears – I never could get it done with Little Man even when he would climb up on my lap – I still have the drops. The wormer is in liquid form to mix in with the food.

        Liked by 1 person

  5. TheseTruths(@thesetruths)Offline
    Wolf
    October 14, 2023 00:34

    Win!

    Wisconsin court ruling a “huge win” for parental rights

    Last week, the Waukesha County Circuit Court ruled in the parents’ favor, stating that the school district’s policy allowing students to change their names and pronouns at school without parental consent violates constitutional rights.

    The policy breaches parents’ rights to make medical and healthcare decisions regarding their children, Judge Michael Maxwell wrote in his order on Oct. 3.

    “The school district could not administer medicine to a student without parental consent. The school district could not require or allow a student to participate in a sport without parental consent,” he wrote. “Likewise, the school district cannot change the pronoun of a student without parental consent without impinging on a fundamental liberty interest of the parents.”

    Without express parental consent, the school district can’t refer to a student using “a name or pronouns at odds with the student’s biological sex,” Maxwell added.

    This is huge:

    The case centered on who ultimately gets to decide if a identifying as another gender is in a child’s best interest, said Luke Berg, deputy counsel at the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty. For decades, the U.S. Supreme Court and other courts have upheld that parents have decision-making authority over their children, including in regard to medical issues.

    Parents’ rights to control the upbringing and education of their children is grounded in the 14th Amendment, the lawsuit states. Numerous mental health experts, two of whom presented affidavits for the case, said that identifying as another gender early in life can affect mental health negatively.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Liked by 1 person

  9. double “l” in stollen again

    Citizen 817
    October 14, 2023 12:29 am

    @realDonaldTrump

    15h
    THE ATTACK ON ISRAEL WOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED, ZERO CHANCE, IF THE ELECTION OF 2020 WAS NOT RIGGED AND STOLLEN. IT SHOWS THE WORLD HOW IMPORTANT ELECTIONS ARE. IRAN WAS BROKE AND TALKING, NOW THEY ARE RICH AND WATCHING, WAITING TO MAKE THEIR MOVE, AND IT WILL BE A BIG ONE! HOW COULD CROOKED JOE BIDEN, THE WORST AND MOST INCOMPETENT PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN? WE WENT FROM THE ABRAHAM ACCORDS AND PEACE, TO UNPRECEDENTED DEATH AND DESTRUCTION. NEVERTHELESS, THIS BIG AND VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM IS SOLVABLE. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!

    Like

  10. Tom Fitton
    @TomFitton
    .@JudicialWatch
    just extracted Jan 6 info that Pelosi had been hiding (with the help of McCarthy!)…Thanks to @JudicialWatch
    , federal court ordered US Capitol Police to describe emails they continue to withhold from the public. These emails include “situational security update” emails that show warnings of possible January 6 protests that could lead to serious disruptions at the U.S. Capitol:

    a. A January 3, 2021 email, with attachment, from the USCP Deputy Chief to a Board member and others at USCP and in Congress providing a detailed “special event assessment” of anticipated protest activity in advance of the January 6, 2021 Joint Session of Congress. The attached document is marked on each page “For Official Use Only/Law Enforcement Sensitive.”

    b. A January 5, 2021 email, with map attachment, from the USCP Chief to two Board members detailing a proposed “bike rack” security perimeter for January 6, 2021, and proposing further discussion.

    c. A January 5, 2021 email, with map attachment, from the USCP Chief to two Board members detailing a proposed security perimeter for January 6, 2021.

    d. A January 5, 2021 email, with social media post and map attachments, from the USCP Deputy Chief to a Board member and others at USCP and in Congress reporting “a significant uptick in new visitors” to a “historical website” containing information on Capitol system tunnels. The Deputy Chief describes proposed attempts by unauthorized individuals to block members of Congress from entering the Capitol building, through tunnels or otherwise.

    e. A January 5, 2021 email from the USCP Deputy Chief to a Board member and others at USCP and in Congress alerting them to an online website soliciting information on high-level government officials and their expected whereabouts on January 6, 2021, and linking to the website’s article entitled Why the Second American Revolution Starts Jan 6.

    f. A January 6, 2021 email from the USCP Chief to Board members and others at USCP and in Congress relaying that the President had completed a speech at the Ellipse and that a large group was preparing to approach the Capitol.

    g. A January 6, 2021 email thread between the USCP Chief, two Board members, and congressional staffers responding to questions on the status of evacuations and relocations of certain buildings on the Capitol Grounds on January 6, 2021, and relaying information on crowds gathering near the Washington Monument and on Capitol Grounds on January 6, 2021.

    h. A series of four January 6, 2021 emails from the USCP Deputy Chief to a Board member and others at the USCP and in Congress providing four updates throughout the course of January 6, 2021. These updates contain intelligence assessments, information on arrests, coordination with other law enforcement agencies, crowd estimates, scheduling of high-level government officials, threat and incident reports, medical responses, and officer deployment status.

    i. A January 7, 2021 email, with photo attachment, from the USCP Deputy Chief to Board member and others in Congress providing an update on the arrest and subsequent charging of an armed individual found in a “suspicious vehicle” on January 6, 2021.

    Like

  11. “You Have No Idea What’s Happening In Israel — Before America gets dragged into another Middle East war, let’s ask some questions first”
    EMERALD ROBINSON
    OCT 12, 2023

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “Before Americans send their sons and daughters off to the Middle East to fight yet another conflict (Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria….) while the drums of war begin to beat on our televisions incessantly — there are a few pertinent questions that should be asked, and a few facts that should be considered.

    We all agree that Hamas is a terrorist group that has targeted civilians for murder and kidnapping, which raises a disturbing question: why did the state of Israel help to create and fund Hamas for so long? That’s a crazy conspiracy theory — right? It’s simply not possible that a senior Israeli official admitted to the Wall Street Journal in 2009 that his own government had backed the Muslim terror group currently killing its own citizens — is it?

    “Surveying the wreckage of a neighbor’s bungalow hit by a Palestinian rocket, retired Israeli official Avner Cohen traces the missile’s trajectory back to an “enormous, stupid mistake” made 30 years ago.

    “Hamas, to my great regret, is Israel’s creation,” says Mr. Cohen, a Tunisian-born Jew who worked in Gaza for more than two decades. Responsible for religious affairs in the region until 1994, Mr. Cohen watched the Islamist movement take shape, muscle aside secular Palestinian rivals and then morph into what is today Hamas, a militant group that is sworn to Israel’s destruction.

    Instead of trying to curb Gaza’s Islamists from the outset, says Mr. Cohen, Israel for years tolerated and, in some cases, encouraged them as a counterweight to the secular nationalists of the Palestine Liberation Organization and its dominant faction, Yasser Arafat’s Fatah. Israel cooperated with a crippled, half-blind cleric named Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, even as he was laying the foundations for what would become Hamas.”

    You’re not likely to see a corporate media outlet in the United States ever mention Avner Cohen’s extraordinary admission but that’s just the point: you have no idea what’s really going on over there, and nobody has any interest in improving your total ignorance.

    Well, not everyone — Patrick Byrne, at least, was one of the few people willing to discuss uncomfortable truths and inconvenient facts today. In a short video released on Twitter/X, Byrne told his followers that “the real blame for this intelligence catastrophe should be placed with the machinations of the Biden Regime, and in particular, SoS Anthony Blinken, DNI Avril Haines, and Dan Shapiro.”

    Now that makes a lot of sense. After all, the Biden-Obama regime gave Iran $6 billion for no apparent reason just weeks before the surprise attack. Before that, the regime had placed an Iranian woman high up in the Pentagon — and she was busy communicating with Iran’s foreign ministry. Then it hired an Iranian spy as America’s envoy to Iran. Once the war actually started in Israel, the Biden-Obama regime threw a BBQ party at the White House. But you still think this regime was “surprised” by the attack on Israel?

    Meanwhile, President Trump dropped a verbal bomb at a rally in Florida by claiming that Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu initially agreed to help the United States destroy Iran’s Revolutionary Guard commander Qasem Soleimani — only to pull out of the military operation at the last minute.

    “I’ll never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down. That was a very terrible thing. They’re [Israel] fighting potentially Iran… We were disappointed by that — but we did the job ourselves. And then Bibi tried to take credit for it.”

    So, let’s begin with some humility — rather than righteous certainty — for a change. You have no idea what’s going on over there. You are not being informed by America’s corporate media — you are being manipulated by our corporate media into supporting another war in the Middle East.

    The illegal Biden regime was under investigation on all fronts, and several of its key officials were headed for impeachment by Congress just before this war started. This attack from Hamas is very convenient for the Biden-Obama regime, don’t you think? And have you noticed how many American politicians believe that Israel has the right to defend its borders — while those same politicians allow a flood of illegal aliens to invade America?

    You have no idea what’s going on over there.”

    Liked by 1 person

  15. just watching the videos kea posted yesterday…Filly there is one of a horse that was abandoned–a small horse but not a pony. her poor hooves were long and curved upward so she could barely walk.
    i didn’t know you trim hooves–is that a regular grooming thing???

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Oh, yes – most horses that are actively working/showing get their feet trimmed every 8-10 weeks or less. They are just like our toe nails – they will continue to grow constantly and are made of basically the same material. Different breeds have different needs….LOL! And I guess you could compare that poor little guys’ hooves to badly ingrown nails, so to speak – not a great comparison but you get the picture. As badly deformed as his left forefoot is, that started when he was young, IMO. It causes the underlying bony supportive structures to warp out of shape permanently. Horses being worked or shown actively also wear shoes that are nailed to the hooves. On the track, the horses are trimmed and re-shod every time they run in a race for the most part. IDK if that also applies in the show world.

      With horses out to pasture, as long as there are enough stones and rocks thruout, their hooves will normally wear down naturally but they need to be checked regularly for stones embedded in the frog of the foot – they’ll limp so you’ll know – or thrush, which is an infection that can eventually cause the basic structure of the foot to warp. When I was living on the Polish Arabian horse farm, I decided to have the farrier look at my Z’s feet just to make sure they were ok. He picked them all up, looked, scraped some dirt off, then dropped them and turned to me, disgusted….”These damned Arabs! They NEVER need trimming!” As I said, some breeds are better than others! Funny that it was the Egyptian Arab that DIDN’T need trimming whereas he had to trim 4 or 5 Polish Arabs! LOL

      In the 15 years I had my Z, he had his feet trimmed by a farrier exactly once!!! Arabs are very self-sufficient breeds, especially those with Classic desert-bred bloodlines.

      Liked by 1 person

      2. Too bad that the positives in “desert-bred bloodlines” for horses didn’t demonstrate an analogous positive for humans 🫥🫤😵.
        A pox on the memory of Colonel T. E. Lawrence (“Lawrence of Arabia”) for having enabled the Saudis to consolidate their power in the Mid East.
        Freaking British…their own (& our) worst enemies.

        Liked by 2 people

        1. IKR? In general, it is my understanding that the House of Saud made a “deal” with the Bedouin tribes and others to rule in perpetuity.

          Liked by 2 people

  17. get this asswipe OFF all committees…what a moron!

    Liked by 1 person

      1. exactly!!!
        trying to make a deal witht he devil…aka…democrats…to get a speaker elected is utter bullshit. the repubs HAVE a majority. well the hell can’t they ACT LIKE IT?
        RINOS!

        Liked by 1 person

  21. i found this picture going thru a portable drive this morning. she’s an American woodcock and they nest right on the ground. many years ago, we were scouring the nearby woods for kindling and we came upon her. she had eggs under her and didn’t move an inch. we gave her wide berth and tried not to disturb her at all.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I have yet to see proof of that $8B…this is Poynter/PolitiFact so no, not THE most trustworthy but…..

      EXCERPT: “After Hamas launched attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, social media users circulated a document they said showed the U.S. immediately coming to Israel’s aid.

      “The U.S. is sending $8B worth of military aid to Israel,” read the text in an Oct. 7 TikTok video.

      The video showed a screenshot of a supposed White House memorandum dated Oct. 7, titled, “Memorandum on the Delegation of Authority Under Section 506(a)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.”

      This is an altered photo. A memo with the same title and nearly identical text was published on the White House website, but it was dated July 25, and it authorized the drawdown of up to $400 million to aid Ukraine, not $8 billion to aid Israel.
      https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/07/25/memorandum-on-the-delegation-of-authority-under-section-506a1-of-the-foreign-assistance-act-of-1961-16/
      The White House did not immediately respond to PolitiFact’s query about the social media claims.”

      https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2023/white-house-sending-8-billion-israel-aid/

      Liked by 1 person

    2. & Brandon has no problem abrogating numerous laws to extend the border wall for his political expediency with zero legislative / judicial interference that was continually used against DJT.

      Liked by 1 person

  26. There are all kinds of therapeutic horse shoes – the newest are made of a composite plastic material that provides better shock absorption. There are also shoes that completely cover the entire bottom of the foot when medication has to be applied long-term or in the case of a bruised sole.

    NF: This horse’s feet are splitting in front – the long pieces can also exert pressure on the walls of the hoof to help stop that.

    Liked by 1 person

  27. NF: Personally, I think he’s being overly optimistic!

    EXCERPT: “So this is how wokeness dies: with hang glider memes. After Hamas’ unprecedentedly brutal and barbaric attack on Israel – an event rightly likened to both Pearl Harbor and 9/11 in the Israeli context – the first world jumped to its feet in horror and declared their support for Israel almost unanimously.

    Even from a normie liberal perspective, this was a no-brainer. Already, reports have emerged of Hamas raping women (and then parading their corpses before mobs of shouting Islamist incels), not to mention of swastikas being flown both by Hamas and by their supporters. You’d think that for the #Resistance, which is all about supporting girl power (SLAY KWEEEN), #MeToo-style sanctification of rape victims, and opposition to racism and bigotry of all kinds, the choice of who to side with after that would be a no-brainer.

    And, indeed, for the liberal establishment, it was: President Biden’s administration has announced its support for Israel unequivocally, and even woke curious organizations like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) have joined them. This should have been a moment of unqualified bipartisan agreement – a rare thing these days – with only the odd Cozy streamer or professor of postcolonial underwater basket-weaving dissenting.

    And it would have been, if not for the infiltration of so many of America’s institutions by woke ideology. Already, we have seen absurdities like posters at Coachella featuring images of hang gliders (which the Palestinians used to attack), and X posts declaring that akshully, “decolonization” has always meant ethnic cleansing, and if you have a problem with that, check your privilege, shitlord.

    But this time, there’s a difference: the adults in the room are openly striking back. For example, in response to students at Harvard University issuing letters blaming the Israelis for their own rape and murder, Pershing Square CEO Bill Ackman announced that both he and other unnamed CEOs were seeking a list of students at Harvard who had signed onto those letters so that they could avoid employing them. Fortunately, just such a list – the College Terror List – now exists. Winston and Strawn, a prominent white shoe law firm, has already announced that it is firing a summer associate over an “inflammatory” post about the conflict supporting the Palestinians.
    ————–
    Meanwhile, the aforementioned ADL has gone nuclear on MSNBC, of all people, demanding to know “who’s writing the script” blaming Israel rather than Hamas for these atrocities. The NHL has banned any and all regalia for “special events” from players’ uniforms, likely out of a desire to avoid Palestinian flags on the ice, but also coincidentally barring things like Pride flags or even rainbow-colored clothing during Pride month. New York University has disavowed a letter sent by its own students blaming Israel for the attacks. Playboy – Playboy – has fired Mia Khalifa over her pro-Palestinian statements. In short, across America, anxious corporate executives seem to have realized the nature of the snake they’ve clutched to their breast, and have flung it away before it can bite them too hard to survive….”

    https://humanevents.com/2023/10/12/bill-hurrell-why-wokeness-faces-extinction-after-israel

    Liked by 1 person

      1. IDK….”In the United States, a white-shoe firm is a term used to describe prestigious professional services firms that have been traditionally associated with the upper-class elite who graduated from Ivy League colleges.”

        Liked by 1 person

  32. Florida teacher savagely beaten unconscious by 270lb autistic student after she told him to stop playing his Nintendo Switch REFUSES to back lighter sentence as he faces up to 30 years in prison
    High school teacher Joan Naydich was violently attacked by Brendan Depa, then 17, in February after she told him to stop playing on his Nintendo Switch
    The autistic teen was seen on video punching and kicking the educator in the back and head until she lay on the ground unconscious
    Depa is slated to issue his plea later month and will be sentenced after that in a separate proceeding

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12629727/Florida-teacher-savagely-beaten-unconscious-270lb-autistic-student-told-stop-playing-Nintendo-Switch-REFUSES-lighter-sentence-faces-30-years-prison.html

    Ummm he should be in jail. DM trying to act like it’s the teacher’s fault

    Liked by 1 person

  34. Nope only DVDs for me

    End of the DVD era: Best Buy plans to phase out sales of physical movies by 2024
    Best Buy isn’t the only company to start moving away from physical media in recent months.

    Aka the other was Netflix

    Liked by 1 person

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