The Marco Polo sheep (Ovis ammon polii) is a subspecies of argali sheep, named after Marco Polo. Their habitat are the mountainous regions of Central Asia. Marco Polo sheep are distinguishable mostly by their large size and spiraling horns. Their conservation status is near threatened and efforts have been made to protect their numbers and keep them from being hunted. It has also been suggested that crossing them with domestic sheep could have agricultural benefits.
>>>PUT SHARE BUTTONS HERE<<<
π Marco Polo sheep in the context of Chalachigu Valley
Karachukar Valleyor Chalachigu Valley (Chinese: ε‘ζε Άε€ζ²³θ°·) is a valley in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, Xinjiang, China.It contains the basin of the Karachukar River, a tributary of the Tashkurgan River,and is regarded as part of Taghdumbash Pamir.The valley borders Afghanistan (Wakhan Corridor or Little Pamir) to the west and northwest, Tajikistan to the north, and Pakistan (Gojal or upper Hunza) to the south. The name of the valley is from Kyrgyz, meaning "black cave".
The valley is part of the Taxkorgan Nature Reserve. The protected Marco Polo sheep is only found in the wild around this area. The region is often referred to by the Chinese as the Chinese portion of the Wakhan Corridor. There is an ethnic Kyrgyz village called Bayik (Chinese: ζδΎε ζ or Chinese: ιΏηΉε δΎιζ).
In this Dossier
Marco Polo sheep in the context of Wakhan National Park
Wakhan National Park is a national park in northeastern Afghanistan. Established in 2014, the park encompasses the entire Wakhan District of Badakhshan Province, extending along the Wakhan Corridor between the Pamir Mountains and the Hindu Kush, bordering the Gorno-Badakhshan autonomous region of Tajikistan to the north, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan to the south, and the Xinjiang autonomous region of China to the east.
Flora and fauna in the Wakhan National Park include some 600 plant species, the snow leopard, lynx, wolf, brown bear, stone marten, red fox, Pallas's cat, ibex, Marco Polo sheep, and urial. Remote and largely above the tree line, poaching and overgrazing, rather than mining and logging, currently pose the main threats. Around 15,000 Afghans of ethnic Wakhi and Kyrgyz background reside in the area. Foreigners must have an Afghan visa to tour the area.
Marco Polo sheep in the context of Taxkorgan Nature Reserve
The Taxkorgan Nature Reserve (officially spelled Taxkorgan Natural Reserve) is a nature reserve in Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang, China. It is situated around the Taghdumbash Pamir of Pamir Mountains and Karakorum Mountains. It covers about 14,000 square kilometres (5,400Β sqΒ mi) was established in 1984 mainly to protect the rare Marco Polo sheep and Tibetan argali. It has since also served to protect other species such as the snow leopard.