The Sulieman Markhor: A Dream Deferred.
The Torghar or “Black Mountain” range of Pakistan is situated in northeastern Balochistan near the border of Afghanistan. Approximately 55 miles long and 15 miles wide, the mountain range is formed of rugged sandstone. Its northern boundary is the Kundar River Valley whilst the Khaisor Valley forms its southern boundary.
In 1976 the Sulieman Markhor was placed on the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) endangered species list as an endangered species. In 1999, Sardar Naseer Tareen, Head of the Society for Torghar Environmental Protection (STEP) and the IUCN Central Asia Sustainable Use Specialist Group, submitted a petition to the Service requesting that the Sulieman markhor of Torghar be reclassified from “endangered” to “threatened.”
This movie was produced to highlight the importance of sport hunting to the survival of the Sulieman markhor and was submitted to the USFWS.
In September of 2014 the USFWS finally relented and the species was reclassified as threatened on the endangered species list. US sportsmen can now bring home their Sulieman markhor trophies with a special permit. USFWS asked that this movie be embedded on their official website to show the public how a species was brought back from the brink of extinction through regulated sport hunting .
Click here to visit the site. US Fish and Wildlife Service.