Pictorial – Conservation effort increaes number of threatened animals in Khunzhrav National Park

PT Report

Photographs by Professor Muhammad Amin Zia

Renowned intellectual, teacher and poet, Professor Muhammad Amin Zia has captured some beautiful animals in the Khunzhrav National Park, recenlty. We are posting the photographs here with his permission, to raise awareness about the importance of conserving the wild animals.

Joint conservation efforts by the Khunzhrav Valley Organization (KVO) and relevant government and non-government organizations, like  the Wild Life Department, WWF, IUCN, Ghulkin Nature Conservatino, Shimshal Nature Trust and several other villlage based organizations, with active participation from the community members, has resulted in an increase in the number of wild animals, like Marcopolo Sheep, Blue Sheep, Snow Leopard, Golden Eagle and bears.

In some cases, however, it has been seen that influential local and non-local people tend to hunt the vehicles without obtaining licence, which is not only dangerous for for the animals, but also deprives the community of the revenues earned through controlled trophy hunting.

The “mountain goats” can be seen in large numbers on the Karakoram Highway, close to the Pakistan-China border, in Gojal Valley (upper Hunza), located in the extreme north of Gilgit-Baltistan region.