CHITRAL: In a remarkable demonstration of community-driven conservation, a herder from the remote Lawi village of Sheshi Koh Valley safely handed over a stranded Kashmir Markhor kid to the wildlife department after the young animal wandered into his domestic flock.
Chitral divisional forest officer Rizwanullah told Dawn on Friday that the department acted immediately upon receiving a call from the farmer, Gauhar Ali; a team of wildlife field staff was dispatched to the village to secure the young animal.
The six-month-old male kid was initially shifted to the civil veterinary hospital for a thorough medical check-up. After being declared perfectly healthy, it wassuccessfully released into the ToshiShasha conservancy, where it immediately leapt back into its natural habitat.
DFO Rizwanullah praised the herdsman’s responsible behaviour and highlighted that the incident reflected the deep impact of the community-based conservation model implemented across Chitral.
To honour his honesty and civic sense, the wildlife department has decided to honour Gauhar Ali with a commendationcertificate and cash prize at a ceremony scheduled for next week.
Explaining how the wild animal ended up among domestic livestock, the range officer of the wildlife department noted that the alpine pastures of Lawi village shared proximity to the GahiretGolen conservancy a well-known, thriving habitat for the KashmirMarkhor where managed trophy hunting takes place annually.
According to the official, torrential rains lashed the high-altitude pasture on the day of the incident. The sudden, heavy downpour likely disoriented the Markhor kid, forcing it to seek shelter and companionship by merging with the grazing herd of goats as they descended the mountain.
The incident highlights the growing harmony between Chitral’s human populations and its endangered wildlife.