Near-threatened Asiatic ibex sighting in Gurez points to healthy breeding, habitat

Srinagar, Dec 13: High above the fault lines of borders and weather, a male ibex stepped into view in Gurez, quiet proof that the Himalayas are still holding life.

Filmed in a sensitive border zone, repeated sightings of Asiatic ibex females with fawns, along with the sighting of the lone male ibex, suggest healthy breeding and stable habitat, strengthening a fragile ecosystem where the near-threatened wild goat underpins the future of apex predators like the snow leopard.

The sighting of a near-threatened Asiatic ibex in the high-altitude Gurez Valley in north Kashmir is being seen by wildlife officials as evidence of healthy breeding and improved habitat conditions in the fragile Himalayan ecosystem.

The wild goat was filmed by a staff member of the Jammu and Kashmir Wildlife Department at Chek Nallah, a sensitive border area in Bandipora district’s Gurez sector.

Officials later confirmed the animal as an Asiatic ibex, also known as the Himalayan ibex.

“Ibex sightings in Gurez at this time of the year are common,” Wildlife Warden for north Kashmir, Suhail Intesar, said. “In summer, they move to higher altitudes, and in winter, when frosty conditions prevail at higher elevations, they descend to graze.”

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the Asiatic ibex as Near Threatened, citing a decreasing population trend across its range.

Intesar clarified that the species should not be confused with the endangered markhor (Capra falconeri), another large wild goat found in parts of Kashmir.

“This Asiatic or Himalayan ibex should not be confused with the markhor,” he said. “Markhor is found only in the Kazinag landscape around Uri in north Kashmir and in Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary in Shopian district of south Kashmir.”

He said ibex typically move in herds consisting of females and young ones, while adult males are often found solitary.

“Ibex generally move in herds of females along with fawns. Males, like the one spotted in Gurez, may also be found alone,” Intesar said.

Officials said repeated sightings of females and fawns in Gurez indicate stable breeding in the region.

“Yes, the ibex is doing fine in the area,” Intesar said. “We have sighted females along with fawns of different ages many times in areas like Chek Nallah and Tulail.”

Apart from Gurez, the Asiatic ibex is found in significant numbers in the Chenab Valley’s Kishtwar High Altitude National Park, where wild ungulates share fragile alpine pastures with domestic livestock.

From May to August, nomadic herders bring sheep and goats into the park’s high-altitude meadows.

Camera trap studies and field surveys have shown that livestock activity influences ibex presence and habitat use.

“They cannot entirely avoid livestock,” a wildlife expert said. “The management strategy should therefore focus on developing species-activity-specific core zones inside the national park.”

Several studies have recorded ibex herds of 25 to 30 individuals frequently using alpine grazing grounds in Kishtwar that are also accessed by nomadic livestock.

The Asiatic ibex plays a crucial ecological role as the primary prey species of the snow leopard, making its conservation vital for sustaining predator populations.

“A healthy ibex population means snow leopards remain healthy,” Intesar said. “Snow leopard is a natural predator of ibex and markhor across their range.”

However, he said the ranges of ibex and markhor do not overlap in Kashmir, and confirmed sightings of snow leopards in the region remain limited.

“We do not have a confirmed sizable population of snow leopards in Kashmir, with only a few reports from the Gurez area,” Intesar said.

In contrast, snow leopards are found in good numbers in Ladakh and across the Line of Control (LoC) in Gilgit-Baltistan, where they are key predators of ibex and markhor.

“In Kashmir, including Gurez, the common leopard and brown bear can be considered the primary predators of ibex and markhor,” he said.

Head of the Department of Wildlife Sciences at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Khurshid Shah, warned that human interference in sensitive high-altitude zones such as Gurez could negatively impact threatened species.

“Human interference in these areas has serious consequences for species like the ibex, snow leopard, Kashmir musk deer, brown bear, and other flora and fauna,” Shah said. “This sensitive zone needs protection by both local communities and the security forces operating there.”

He said that protecting prey species like the ibex is essential for long-term conservation. “The ibex is a true wild goat and a near-threatened species. It is also the primary prey of the snow leopard,” Shah said. “If we want to secure snow leopards in Kishtwar and Gurez, we must ensure that the ibex population remains healthy.”