Heading North from the plains of Pakistan, and into the foothills of Hindu Kush mountains, lies one of the country’s most spectacular regions, the Chitral District. Its heaven-touching peaks, colorful and passionate people, unique traditions, and a deep-rooted culture make it a place worth visiting at least once in life. But the real and hidden beauty of the district is the ‘Chirtal Gol National Park’, which is renowned for its dramatic landscapes, treacherously steep cliffs and the extraordinary markhors.
Home to our country’s national tree, Deodar, national bird, Chakor (rock partridge) and national plant, Jasmine, the park experiences hot, harsh and dry summers, while winters are long and cold. Its heavy inhabitants like lammergeyer vultures and eagles, secretive, wildcats like lynxes, wolves and markhors have to cover huge distances to hunt for prey.
Markhors are one of the largest wild goats in the world. Males can weigh over 100kg and their impressive corkscrew-like horns are over a metre long. Females are much smaller with a relatively delicate built and can climb right into the trees for their staple diet of acorns and leaves. Males dislodge the tree leaves with their horns and eat the ones that fall on the ground.
In the first two weeks of December, the male markhors seek out each other to battle for a chance of mating with the nearest females. During winters, when metres of snow blanket Chitral Gol, markhors remain at lower elevations relying on the oak trees for food. But they regularly leave the park and go into the adjoining valleys when food gets scarce due to rampant wood cutting and over-grazing by the domestic livestock.
Over-grazing around the National Park caused two major problems. Firstly, the snow leopards started killing the domestic animals instead of the wild goats. To address the issue, ‘The Snow Leopard Foundation’ helped in funding new enclosures for livestock. Tall, steady, stonewalls keep the predators from getting in and a netted roof allows good ventilation for the animals. As a result, the predators kill very few animals now.
Secondly, many domestic animals were dying either due to diseases or malnourishment. To solve this problem, the Foundation is teaching herders how to vaccinate and treat their animals for different diseases.
The protection and well being of Chitral Gol National Park is very much tied to that of the people who live around its borders. The officials of the Wildlife Department and the community watchers patrol the park continuously, ensuring that nobody cuts the wood or takes away the medicinal plants or harms the wildlife such as the markhors, however the best guards are the local communities themselves.
Nonetheless, an incessant way to preserve this breathtaking national treasure is to raise awareness amongst the younger generation about the benefits and importance of the conservation of the National Park. It’s essential that local communities engage their hearts and minds with this challenge because everyday protection of the park’s vast, rugged terrain can be a daunting job.
